Lightness of Being
by Sioux99
Summary: Anubis takes the battle to the heart of SGC


Lightness of Being

Author : Sioux

Stargate Sg-1

Rating : NC17

Characters : Jack/Daniel

Warnings : Post 'Revalations' and character death

Summary : Anubis takes the battle into the heart of the SGC

Archive : Area 52 archive anyone else please ask.

Disclaimer : Unfortunately the characters aren't mine, and I'm not making a penny off 'em!

Comments : Comments gratefully received at sioux_

High up along the ridge a huge explosion rocked the night, the sound hitting the figures below a split second after a false dawn painted the sky. Another explosion, then another. Several figures on their way down from the ridge to the plain below were tossed into the air with the third explosion. They crashed down and lay still like broken dolls hurled from careless giant fingers.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

The shouted command reverberated across the sandy plain.

Silhouetted across the ridgeline, dozens of Jaffa appeared cresting the horizon and hurling blasts from their staff weapons at the fleeing figures. Their armour an eclectic mix of several different System Lords. Gleefully they harried their enemy onwards. The men and women on the plain were easy targets now. The ones in the rear were returning fire steadily with whatever staff and zat weapons they had managed to scavenge from their dead enemies, keeping the Jaffa occupied, whilst their comrades made good time towards the distant Stargate. Before long the ones in front running towards the Stargate were forced to fire at a new wave of Jaffa who were approaching from behind the 'Gate. Their primitive projectile weapons were little or no defence against the technology of a staff blast. Everywhere was noise, dust and confusion. The sound of staff weapons discharging a constant background roar to people shouting ineffective and contradictory orders, some screaming, as blasts found their mark on bodies and, overlaying everything, the sweetish tang of blood mixing with the sharp, acrid taste of fear.

They were trapped between two pitiless aggressors, milling helplessly as their comrades behind, running from the Jaffa there, pushed them into the Jaffa in front of them. Packed too closely together to fire effectively or to run they were mercilessly cut down.

In the cold dawn light a pall of smoke hovered like a shroud over the many bodies. Even though the fight had been lost many hours before the stench of blood and death made the air almost too thick to breathe. Three people standing outlined on the ridge were silent with shock. Jonas tried to continue videotaping the carnage but his hands were shaking too much. Gently but firmly Jack took the camera from him whilst Jonas moved a little further away and quietly vomited. Emotions held tightly in check Colonel O'Neill videoed the massacre, running the emotionless, all-seeing eye of the camera over the scene of bloodshed. Dozens of soldiers in desert battledress carrying packs marked with a distinctive red cross moved among the dead checking for any life signs.

Finally O'Neill stopped filming and lowered the camera, swallowing hard. Down on the plain one of the soldiers shouted, he'd found a live one, then another soldier shouted. O'Neill set off down the hill at a run, not waiting to see if Teal'c or Jonas were following him. By the time he reached the bottom several more injured people had been discovered.

"These people have been protected by the bodies of their comrades," Teal'c stated from behind.

To O'Neill it looked like they had been herded together like sheep to the slaughter but he didn't say anything. Instead he concentrated his energies on sorting the dead from the barely living.

Wearily Jack plodded down the steel ramp helping the other three men carry the last of the injured through the Stargate into the SGC. They transferred the man to a waiting gurney whilst Dr Fraiser quickly assessed him.

"Get this one straight to OR," she ordered crisply turning to continue her triage, "Colonel, Sergeants, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Doc," Jack muttered, removing his helmet. The other men nodded and moved off out of the way of the medical staff.

"Colonel, Teal'c, let's go to the briefing room please," Hammond ordered.

"Sir," Jack answered automatically.

Silently O'Neill and Teal'c followed Hammond into his office, where Carter was already waiting for them.

"Sit down gentlemen," Hammond said quietly. "Your assessment?"

"Pretty bad, Sir. I'd say upwards of two thousand dead in the area around the Stargate alone. Judging from the positions of the ones we found alive, I'd say they were caught between two armies and slaughtered."

Jack rubbed his hand over his grimy blood spattered face, then dropped his head and continued the motion into his hair. He felt like he'd been awake for forty eight hours, straight. A cup of steaming hot black coffee appeared in front of him.

"Thank you Sir," he said gratefully wrapping his hands around the mug, trying to use the liquid to chase the emotional chill from his skin.

"I would concur with Colonel O'Neill's assessment. Also there were Jaffa of many different System Lords, apparently fighting together," Teal'c said.

"This is the third time we've seen something like this," Hammond said. "This is supposed to be an Asgard protected planet!"

"Was a protected planet. Those Jaffa marched in there, without let or hindrance, rounded up the population, carried off those they wanted and slaughtered the rest. The native's weaponry appeared to have been just what they had managed to seize from the enemy. They didn't have a chance. What are the Asgard doing about this? Nothing!"

"They are not in the best position to wage war against Anubis' army. Their resources are nearly exhausted from fighting the Replicators. And while you were gone we heard that the Tok'ra have suffered heavy losses against another of force of Jaffa. As on this planet, the army was composed of many different System Lord's Jaffa all fighting together."

"Anubis is going to be knocking on our front door before too long," O' Neill stated quietly.

"Do the Tok'ra have any further information on Anubis?" Teal'c asked.

"No they haven't. They have lost contact with a lot of their undercover operatives recently. However it still appears that Anubis influence is unifying the System Lords under his command."

Sam looked up with a worried expression on her face.

"That information came to us via Jacob, Major. He's alright," Hammond told her kindly.

She nodded gratefully.

"Is there anything we can do?" Jack asked.

"The United States cannot commit resources to this kind of war Colonel, you know that."

"Well how about the United States comes clean to the UN and asks for global backing! This isn't going to be just an American problem if Anubis lands his forces on Earth!"

Jack could hear himself shouting at Hammond but he couldn't seem to help it. He had seen too much death and mayhem in the past few weeks to care much for the orders which petty bureaucracy handed down. They weren't the ones who had to go in afterwards and clean up the mess.

"Jack, you know as well as I do, if the news gets out there will be mass panic. We cannot allow that to happen."

"Oh come on Sir! You know the Brits and us have worked together often enough in the past without springing a leak. Why can't we do that again? A series of small covert operations teams. We go in take out a System Lord and leave. They have the skills and the manpower and they can invoke the official secrets act on their own people."

"The Pentagon will not sanction us approaching the British Prime Minister at this time for help. These are the orders Jack, I cannot do anything other than obey them

"Great, just great!" Jack murmured letting his head fall forward onto the table. "So we get to see wholesale slaughter of innocent people and when it happens to us, no-one will be prepared for this war because the Pentagon wouldn't say anything," he continued, with his head still resting on the table top.

Teal'c and Sam remained silent. They were all as tired as each other.

Hammond dropped his gaze briefly, taking in the various poses of physical and emotional exhaustion before him. He sighed and said quietly,

"Colonel, Major, Teal'c go and get cleaned up and checked out in the infirmary and we'll debrief properly at 0900 tomorrow morning."

Summoning the remains of their strength they rose from the table.

"Yes Sir," Jack replied following Teal'c and Carter out of the briefing room.

Dr Steven Rayner picked up a photograph of the Osiris amulet and glared at it. He'd been staring at this photograph for months, on and off. It had been this item which had begun his quest in the first place. That, and his intuition that the amulet was more than just an amulet. Impatiently he put the photo down and pulled another pile of papers towards himself. These were some of the background notes from Daniel's last lecture, ironically the one he himself had walked out of. Now he wished he'd stayed to listen. It may have helped him to sort his ideas out a lot faster, as well as his subconscious memories.

Since his return from Egypt he had been having strange dreams, almost like flashbacks. Daniel was there and so was Sarah, or rather a very strange version of Sarah with glowing eyes and the strength of ten men. In his dreams she was the one who had beaten him senseless and left him for dead. Daniel had told him that grave robbers had beaten him up to get the Osiris amulet from him at the temple. His memory had been very unclear after he awoke in hospital so he had taken Daniel's word for it. Many weeks after he had gone back to work and started to pick up the pieces again, which with Sarah missing and Dr Jordan dead had taken a long time, he had found a floppy disk with the carbon dating results of the amulet on it. It was the vindication of Daniel's theories, the concrete knowledge he had lacked which, at the time, had enabled the academic community to laugh at him.

When Steven had tried to contact Dr Jackson to give him this information, he couldn't find him at all. The Air Force had stone-walled his request to be put in contact with his ex-colleague, saying Dr Jackson was unavailable. After weeks of being 'unavailable' a ranking officer had finally told him that Dr Jackson was currently listed as missing in action presumed dead. That was the final piece of news which had rocked his world. Firstly Dr Jordan then Sarah and now Daniel. So Steven had buried himself in work, but not his own work, in Daniel's theories. Even though he no longer had the amulet in his possession he still had proof that Egyptian civilisation was much, much older than generally surmised. After that it was surprisingly easy to track back, shadowing Daniel's footsteps, and to come to the conclusion that Egyptian civilisation was, in the order of, ten thousand years older than previously surmised. Without the dating evidence it would have required a huge intuitive leap to reach those conclusions, which is exactly what Daniel had done. Steven admired him for that. Out of Dr Jordan's three assistants Daniel had always been the most brilliant. A momentary stab of jealousy flared in his heart but he ruthlessly suppressed it. Now Steven was putting the finishing touches to his latest book. He had used Daniel's work as the basis and built upon that, giving Dr Jackson full credit for the initial theories. Some of the more sensationalist members of the press had got hold of an early draft of his book and printed selected parts of it, much to his annoyance. His publisher was rather more sanguine about it.

'No publicity is bad publicity,' he had intoned sagely when Steven had rung him complaining loudly about the leak. Much to his further annoyance it appeared the man was correct. Pre-orders for his new book had gone through the roof after the paper had published its story.

Teal'c opened up his copy of 'that comic book', as O'Neill dubbed it, and prepared to enjoy the most entertaining stories therein. The page on the 'Woman Headed Fish Found Off the South Coast of India', looked most promising as a piece to present for Colonel O'Neill's attention, given his obsession with fishing. Before he got to that page though, the headline caught his eye. Seconds later Teal'c left the commissary bumping into Major Carter who was just entering. A low voiced conversation took place. Sam read the piece quickly then nodded at Teal'c. Together they left in search of their commanding officer. Jack was sitting in his office when Sam and Teal'c found him. His sombre expression lightening before he read the paper. Afterwards the creases between his eyebrows seemed to be cut deeper than ever as he led his little troop to General Hammond's office.

"Sir, can we have a word?"

"Can it wait Colonel?"

"Don't think so Sir," Jack replied, handing his superior the paper.

Hammond scanned the headline and a few paragraphs of the feature before handing it back.

"We already know about this Jack."

"You do?"

"We do! Perhaps you'd better come with me, all of you."

Hammond led the way out of his office, into the lift and then up to the twenty fourth level. Things were starting to become clear to Jack. The rooms here were just that, rooms, which made them an ideal environment for interrogation procedures. Long before they reached their destination raised voices could be heard echoing off the walls.

Someone was insisting on his right to an attorney or at least his one telephone call. Another, lower voice, was telling him, in a very long suffering way, that he had been brought here under the aegis of National Security, which negated those rights, neither was he under arrest. Sam thought she recognised the first voice although she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Wait here!" Hammond ordered before knocking and entering the room.

"Wait here?" Jack raised his eyebrows, asking the wall.

Seconds later Hammond exited the room closely followed by another man. The other man motioned the little group to precede him down the hall. He stopped well out of ear shot of the occupant of the room.

"This is Colonel Myers from the Pentagon," Hammond said, after introducing his team.

"Sir," Carter saluted.

"Colonel," Jack said.

Teal'c merely inclined his head.

Myers turned to Sam saying,

"I believe you were there when Dr Jackson found Dr Rayner in the Osiris temple in Egypt."  
"Er, yes Sir, both myself and Dr Fraiser were there."

"What did you tell him?"  
Sam looked confused.

"I'm sorry Sir, I don't understand what you mean."  
"Dr Rayer has come to the conclusion that the aliens who built the pyramids in Egypt could still be out there and visiting our planet from time to time. Now how could he know that unless he was told?"

"Maybe the same way Daniel figured it out!" Jack replied.

The light began to dawn for Sam. It was Steven Rayner who was in that room.

"Sir, we gave Dr Rayner a cover story," Sam continued. "Daniel visited him a few times when he was in hospital. He told Dr Rayner that he had been beaten up by grave robbers for the Osiris amulet. Dr Rayner's memory was quite badly affected by the ribbon device Osiris had used on him. He believed what Daniel told him."

"Well not any more. He has finished a book about aliens building the pyramids. Unlike Dr Jackson, Dr Rayner has concrete evidence to prove his theory. We can't just leave him to tell the world about this."

"So you gave him even more proof his theories are correct by picking him up and bringing him here!" Jack replied, scathingly.

"No, Colonel O'Neill we did not. We picked him up for inciting a riot."

"Inciting a riot?"

"That's what it looked like."

"You mean that's what you made it look like," Jack answered back.

Colonel Myers said nothing.

"What are you going to do with him?" Sam asked.

"It depends how far he is willing to carry this on."  
"If he has proof he's not likely to back down now," she said.

"He no longer has that proof, neither does his publisher. So that is not an issue."

"If he doesn't have proof then let him go. He'll probably get laughed at, like Daniel, and forgotten about. What's the problem?" Jack asked.

"The problem, Colonel, is that he has remembered what really happened in that temple. He is saying words like Goa'uld. He can remember Daniel telling Osiris that he helped to kill Hathor, Seth and Ra, and that they were all Goa'uld as well. He remembers glowing eyes and great strength, the ribbon device and what it can do. He knows the markings on the Osiris jar are symbols of the Goa'uld language. He knows too much."

Jack looked sharply at Sam.

"We didn't tell him Sir. He was face down in the dirt unconscious for most of the time when we were in the temple."

"But there's nothing wrong with his ears! Hearing is the last sense to leave and the first to return," Jack told them. He knew that to be true, it had helped him often enough.

Sam dropped her eyes.

"He was so badly injured Janet wasn't even a hundred per cent sure he would live," she said quietly.

"Well he did and so did his memory," Myers snapped.

"He worked with Daniel for a lot of years, right?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Yes Sir," Sam answered. "Daniel, Dr Rayner and Sarah all worked with Professor Jordan."

"Well why don't we use him?"

"What?" Hammond asked, getting rapidly out of his depth.

"Use him to help Jonas interpret what the SG teams bring back. If he's bright enough to have figured all this out on his own he'll be able to help us. Since Daniel left us we haven't had anyone here who is as brilliant on Earth history as he is, er, was. Give him Daniel's research notes and put him on the payroll. That way he can't make any profit from his work with us, neither can he speak about it outside the base."

"Give him a job to shut him up?" Hammond asked. "Colonel, what makes you think he'll take it? He could make a small fortune from his new book. The Air Force rates of pay for civilian employees aren't that generous!"

"If he's anything like Daniel he won't be able to resist the challenge," Jack replied.

Hammond looked at Colonel Myers who shrugged.

"Makes my job a lot easier. If he's on the payroll he can't shout his mouth off."

"I need to make some enquiries first," Hammond said, striding away.

"Perhaps you'd better send some coffee in," Jack suggested, with a crocodile smile at Myers. "We may need to make a start on sweetening him up. Oh, and one more thing, Myers, if he decides not take the job, I don't think another hit and run is going to look quite as accidental again, do you?"

"Colonel O'Neill, the death of that reporter was a genuine accident."

"Yeah, whatever," Jack replied, walking away.

Having never met the man, Jack had read Dr Steven Rayner correctly. Despite his apparent overweening interest in the luxuries of life, he was still, at heart, first and foremost, an archaeologist. He had been quietly ecstatic when shown Daniel's old lab. When he got his hands on Daniel's notes as well, he wasn't seen outside the lab for several days.

Jack's exasperated,

"What is it with these guys!" merely earned him shared looks of amusement from Sam and Jonas and a near smirk from Teal'c.

"I think it's called enthusiasm for their subject, Jack," Jonas said quietly.

Jack 'hmmphd' and made tracks for home. Once safely behind closed doors he made himself a scratch meal, ate it and then settled down to watch the Discovery channel on TV until a voice near his ear startled him,

"Discovery channel, Jack?"

"Don't sound so surprised. I do watch other things besides sports."

"I didn't think your TV was capable of receiving anything other than sports!"

"Very funny, this happens to be interesting."  
"Shall I leave then?"

"No. I was hoping you'd, umm , drop in soon. Got some news for you."

"If you're talking about Steven, I know."

"Oh!"

"I've been watching him for a couple of days. Sorry to steal your thunder."

"No you're not."

"Alright, I'm not. It was a good idea of yours to get him on the project…"

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it," Jack interrupted him, childishly delighted with himself.

Daniel ignored him and carried on speaking.

"He'll be a great asset to the SGC. You might get Teal'c to start teaching him Goa'uld soon, too. He's a good linguist when he puts his mind to it. The way Anubis is expanding his area of operations it might be useful to have someone else around who speaks the language and who isn't a Jaffa."

"Good point, Danny. You been keeping an eye on what Anubis is up to?"

"We can't get that close to him. He can sense us, even in our invisible state. He can also damage us."

"Damage you!"

"It was a big shock to us as well. He has an enhanced ribbon device and it can throw a hell of a charge. It would fry a corporeal form, like you, but it sends us into a, a sort of limbo. Our energy phase is distorted somehow."

"Well can't you undistort it?"  
"They can't reintegrate anymore. They can't feel the rest of us either. They're totally cut off. It's like you being suddenly struck blind, deaf, dumb and paralysed as well. It is horrible, Jack. I suppose it's what we would term…hell."

"Jeez!"

"We keep trying to make contact with the ones who have been affected but it's exhausting to us. We think we might have to leave them where they are."

Jack had no reply to make, apart from a request.

"Be careful Daniel! You can't ascend again."

"Being careful may not be an option for any of us Jack. Wherever Anubis has been he has brought with him some powerful technologies. He has weapons and defences none of the Ascended have ever encountered before."

"You don't think we have much of a chance against him?"  
"Didn't say that. You do have allies, and you're resourceful people but it's not going to be easy."

Jack nodded.

"He's already been ignoring the Asgard protected planets policy. Don't think it's going to be long before he's making his presence felt on Earth," Jack told his invisible companion. "And the Pentagon won't approach any other country for assistance either. He'll be able to march in here and take what he wants because we won't be prepared."  
"So you make sure you and the SG teams are prepared. Get all the civilian consultants trained up to defend themselves as well. The Stargate is a logical place to begin an invasion so the mountain would be the first area to be threatened."

"Hammond has already made a start with that. Everyone, with the exception of your buddy Steven, has had a short firearms course."

"Steven wasn't my buddy, he was a colleague! Why didn't he get training?"  
"Couldn't get him out of the lab long enough!"

Jack could hear Danny laughing.

"You'll have to start dragging him out to eat, like you had to do with me."

A momentary stab of pain shot through Jack. Sometimes it still hurt to remember Daniel was no longer part of this world. He missed him.

"Yeah," Jack said softly.

"Hey! I'm OK."

Jack nodded and slowly held out his hand, palm up. Daniel let his energy form brush gently over his hand, taking as well as giving comfort for a few seconds.

"Gotta go Jack."

"OK."

"One more thing, get Steven to look into the myths surrounding Anubis' disappearance. He might be able to find something you can use."

Jack immediately began to wonder how he could get Steven Rayner to do that without giving away the suggestion had come from Daniel. Perhaps under the guise of chatting to him on a coffee break he could broach the subject.

"He doesn't usually drink coffee."

"Will you quit doing that!" Jack snapped.

"He likes tea, good strong brew, a little milk, no sugar. We used to take turns making drinks when we were working with Dr Jordan."

"He might have changed his tastes since then."

"No, he hasn't. I saw Jonas making a cup for him yesterday."

As he was leaving Daniel playfully ruffled Jack's hair so it stood up in all directions.

"See you around flyboy!" he laughed as Jack tried in vain to get his hair into some semblance of order.

"Steven! You're due on the weapons refresher course in five minutes," Jack said heartily from the door of Daniel's lab. He still couldn't think of the room any other way.

"Er, OK Colonel. I'll be there in a minute," Steven replied, not even looking up from the stone tablet he was translating.

Jack lowered his clipboard and glared at the man. As an intimidating gesture it was a waste of time, Dr Rayner was apparently even more impervious to such attempts than Daniel had been.

Jack walked into the lab, took the pen out of Rayner's hand and put it on the desk.

"Now, Steven!" he said, as he gestured for the other man to precede him.

"But this is such an important ….."  
"I'm sure it is Dr Rayner."

"You don't understand…"  
"About how old is that tablet?" Jack asked, interrupting him.

"Well I don't know for sure."  
"Approximately?"

"The order of several thousand years. You see…"

"Then it can wait a coupla more hours," Jack told him, smoothly overriding his objections and stopping him getting into his stride of explanations.

He wasn't too shabby with firearms, Jack acknowledged later when collating Rayner's scores.

"Do I pass?" Rayner asked, taking the clip out of the handgun and refilling it with bullets.

"You'll do," Jack replied, sparing with his praise. "One more clip on the moving targets then we'll call it a day."

Rayner carefully reloaded, replaced his ear defenders and protective glasses then set off the gallery of moving targets. There were the standard 'enemy' targets and a couple of 'friendlies' thrown in as well. Rayner pinked the shoulder of one of the friendlies and winced but continued with the exercise. When he'd emptied the clip the put the gun down before addressing O'Neill.

"Do you want me to do that again?"

"Might be a good idea. You need to concentrate, don't kill too many of our own men!"

Rayner pulled a face but dutifully reloaded and repeated the exercise, this time without putting a bullet anywhere he shouldn't have.

"Not bad," Jack said to him.

"But could be better?"

"We could all be better!"

Rayner gave one of his rare smiles, his face looking younger.

"I've been meaning to ask you, what happens when someone is missing in action?"

"What do you mean, what happens?"  
"Well I guess I'm asking do you put up a grave marker somewhere after a certain period of time?"  
This was one conversation Jack had avoided having with Rayner. However, it looked like he wasn't going to be able to duck out of it for too much longer.

"Sometimes. Usually after the correct legal period has passed."  
"Seven years?"

"Soldiers have returned to their families after longer than seven years," Jack told him.

"Dr Jackson wasn't a soldier," Steven stated.

"No, he wasn't," Jack agreed.

"What did happen to him? No-one will give me a straight answer. Did the Goa'uld take him?"

Jack blew a long breathe out through his mouth, considering his answer.

"Get cleaned up and meet me in Daniel's office in," he consulted his watch, "fifteen minutes."

Puzzled Rayner looked at Jack's departing back.

Jack got the video tapes set up in Daniel's office, put his coffee onto brew and put the kettle on. Punctually at the appointed time Rayner pushed open the door and looked in.

"Come on in, sit down," Jack told him, motioning to a chair.

He poured a cup of coffee for himself and left the carton of milk next to a cup which still had the tea bag still floating in it.

"Put your own milk in."

Rayner smiled,

"How did you know I drink tea?"

"It's my job to know," he replied without a smile.

Jack collected his own cup and took the empty chair next to Rayner, leaning his forearms on his desk. He picked up the remote control for the video player which he had sat on the bench at the back of the room, then he opened a slim folder by his left hand and began to read in a dry emotionless voice,

"At approximately 20:15 hours Dr Jackson returned through the Stargate from Kalona."

"Kalona? That's where Jonas comes from, isn't it?"

"That's right. Dr Jackson went from the embarkation room straight to the infirmary. Upon arrival he was found to have fairly severe burns to both hands, torso and lighter burns to his face. There had been an accident in one of the labs there. The government of the planet were experimenting with naquadria, in effect they were making a bomb. The experiment went wrong, and large amounts of neutron radiation were released. Before the bomb could explode prematurely and destroy the planet, Dr Jackson released the trigger mechanism, in the process of which he was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. The governing body tried to bring charges of sabotage against Dr Jackson, saying he was the cause of the accident, he was later exonerated of those charges."  
"Daniel died of radiation poisoning?" Rayner asked, his face losing colour rapidly.

Jack face crinkled as he considered how to answer the question. He'd set the tapes up so that they wouldn't have to watch Daniel deteriorate for too long. It was still too painful for Jack to watch for any length of time. He pressed 'play' on the remote control.

"This is about eight hours after the accident occurred. Dr Jackson was heavily sedated."

The picture on the monitor leapt to life under his fingers. After a few seconds Rayner reached out and pressed the stop button, his face was grey and he was swallowing hard.

"I don't want to watch this!" he whispered. "Why don't you just tell me where he's buried?"

"I can't tell you where he's buried," Jack said as quietly.

"Was his body so irradiated you couldn't bury him?"

"There wasn't a body."

Rayner looked sharply at Jack. If this was a joke it was a damned sick one. Jack fast forwarded the tape to the right point. Rayner saw an older man passing some device over the heavily bandaged body in the bed

"Who's that?"  
"Jacob Carter, Sam's father."  
"The Tok'ra?"

"One of them."

Then the image of Jack on the screen said,

"Jacob. Stop."

Jacob asking,

"Are you serious?"

Jack replying,

"It's what he wants."

Jacob looking at Dr Fraiser for confirmation,

"Someone else want to tell me what to do?"

Then Jack saying,

"Just let him go."

Rayner glanced across at Jack who was staring into the depths of his coffee rather than looking at the screen. Then, when he heard Dr Frasier's cry of, 'Colonel!' he looked back at the screen just in time to see a glowing white cloud rise up from the bed and pass through the infirmary ceiling.

"What? What just happened?"

"Daniel ascended. Oma Desala gave him a chance to join her people."  
"He didn't die?"  
"No, he didn't die. But he isn't here any more."

Rayner was silent for a long time.

"How did you know he wanted Jacob to stop?"

Jack half smiled before saying,

"He told me."

"But he was lying there unconscious. He was dying. He didn't speak."

"He told me in here," Jack replied, tapping the side of his head.

Rayner looked at him as if he were a madman, which Jack supposed wasn't an unusual reaction.

"He wanted to make the transition, so he needed Jacob to stop trying to heal him. He asked me to ask him to stop."

For a time neither man spoke. Then Rayner said,

"You and Daniel were good friends?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes I could have cheerfully strangled him, sometimes I'm sure he could have happily done the same to me."

"He must have trusted you a lot though. To ask you to help him like that."

"We trusted each other."

"Can he, you know, get back here?"

Jack shrugged, unwilling to go into the subject any deeper.

"Why would he want to? He's moved on now."

Rayner nodded slowly.

"I'll leave you the file. You can return it to me later. By the way, how are you getting on with the research on Anubis?" Jack asked, getting to his feet.

"Erm, OK. I can let you have a preliminary report in the morning."  
"Fine."

Rayner was still sitting in shock. Jack knew Steven and Daniel hadn't been that close but even so, seeing that tape was a harrowing experience for anyone. Jack stood, gripped Rayner's shoulder as he walked past and left the lab. He walked along the hall to the men's room, locked himself in a cubicle and was quietly sick until there was nothing left to come up. Then he rinsed his mouth and washed his face free of the clammy sweat and generally removed any evidence that he'd lost his lunch suddenly.

As good as his word, Steven Rayner dropped a copy of his preliminary findings into Jack's office the next morning. Along with the video tapes and Daniel's final medical file. He didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave either.

"Something on your mind?" Jack asked at length.

"You know I worked with Daniel for years and I don't think I really knew him at all. I'm not sure I would have had the guts to do what he did."

"Daniel was a very brave and courageous man. I'm not sure I would have been able to do what he did either. He was…special."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Steven's face as he regarded Jack steadily. Then the smile faded as he seemed to look right through Colonel O'Neill.

"You've seen him since he ascended, haven't you?" he asked quietly.

Jack's eyes opened wide, before he masked his reaction by dropping his gaze.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

Neither of them had time for an answer as the klaxon sounded then a voice came over the PA system announcing,

"Attention! Unauthorised incoming wormhole. Defence teams to full alert. This is not a drill, repeat this is not a drill!"

"Get yourself kitted up and follow emergency procedure," Jack shouted at Rayner as he led the way to procure firearms.

Suddenly the base was full of running men, all them carrying some form of weaponry and all of them looking like they knew exactly how to use it. As Rayner was collecting his weapons, one automatic, one handgun, he literally ran into Jonas.

"Where are you headed?" Rayner shouted above the noise of the klaxon.

"The control room," he answered.

It sounded as good a place as any Rayner decided, following the other man. When they reached the control room the iris was firmly closed but the tell tail flickering blue light could be seen in reflection on the back wall. The wormhole was still active.

"Rayner I told you to follow emergency procedure!" Jack shouted at him as he caught sight of the archaeologist.

"No-one's told me what that is Colonel."

"Peachy! Just peachy," O'Neill muttered before raising his voice again. "Go to the offices near the infirmary. That area is the most protected. Jonas show Dr Rayner the way and stay with him."

Jonas just nodded and turned to direct Steven. Rayner pulled a face but allowed himself to be shepherded out of the control room.

"Do we have any IDC, yet?" Hammond asked.

"No Sir," the Sergeant replied, checking again for any incoming codes. "Err, Sir!"

Hammond looked down at the Sergeant's screen.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Sir, we should clear the area. The iris is being bombarded with radiation," Sam spoke up.

"Major, go and get the secondary control room on-line, take Teal'c and Siller with you."

"Yes, Sir," Sam replied, exiting quickly with the two men in tow.

Hammond strode to the telephone on the back wall. Just as he was about to speak into the receiver, Jack said,

"Sir!"

Hammond looked to where Jack was looking. With horrified fascination he could see the iris beginning to flex, as if the metal was breathing.

"Get those troops out of the gate room! Tell them to take up position outside the blast doors," Hammond ordered. "Colonel!"

Jack turned to face Hammond and took three steps forward. At that moment an ear splitting shriek sounded throughout the base, Jack turned back to look down into the gate room just in time to see the iris ripping apart like tissue paper, pieces of metal flying around in all directions. Instinctively he turned and pushed Hammond to the ground just as the windows of the control room shattered with a huge crash. The sound stunning them as waves of pressurised air followed hard on the sound, blanking their hearing and momentarily knocking them into unconsciousness.

When Jack awoke shortly afterwards his hearing was blocked and he was covered in broken glass. Hammond was getting to his feet and reached down to give Jack a hand.

"Are you alright Colonel?" he asked.

"Think so Sir," Jack shouted back.

Then his ears popped as the pressures equalised. The sound of staff weapons discharging close by wasn't what he wanted to hear though. Stray blasts knocked into the ceiling, and sent them crouching to the floor, again. Jack scuttled nearer to the broken windows and risked a look out. What he saw froze his blood. Anubis and Osiris, surrounded by troops of Jaffa disappearing through the blast doors on their way into the rest of the base complex.

"Sir, we have a foothold situation," Jack said quietly once he'd crawled back to Hammond, "Anubis and Osiris, with a large contingent of Jaffa."

"Sergeant, alert the rest of the base!" Hammond ordered. "And find out where they are headed. Colonel, take a team and see if you get them back into the gateroom."

O'Neill collected his weaponry from the floor and headed out, intending to round up Teal'c for this one.

"Sir, they're going towards the infirmary," a soldier shouted back at Hammond.

"Colonel, belay that last order…"

"I'm on it Sir," O'Neill replied.

Then seconds later he remembered where he'd sent Quinn and Rayner. As he left at the double he could hear Hammond giving orders to have extra troops defend the infirmary.

Using his knowledge of the base layout O'Neill made good time working his way around the moving battlelines to approach the offices near the infirmary from the opposite way to Anubis. He looked in several of the rooms but they were empty. He crossed in front of the infirmary entrance, past the defence teams already in place there and across to the next section of offices. Ahead of him he could hear staff weapons fire as well as conventional weapons. He crept forward quietly and carefully. Getting shot by his own men wasn't on his agenda for the day. In front of him another team were spread out along the walls, every so often they would fire around the corner and then a huge volley of fire would be returned. Thankfully he could see Rayner and Quinn were with this group. Then Rayner rose from his crouching position and Jack saw he had a staff weapon in his hands. Quickly he swung the business end of it around the corner, let loose a couple of blasts and ducked back into cover again. Jack made a mental note to check the man's resume. He looked very much at home handling the weapon and he obviously knew enough to keep himself safe. Jack reached out to touch Quinn on the shoulder, startling the other man. When he turned he saw Quinn wasn't handling this as well as Rayner. His eyes were widely dilated and he was shaking.

"Come on, back this way. You too Rayner," Jack said softly.

"I can help here Colonel," Rayner replied immediately. "But take Jonas with you, he's been shot."

Jack looked down at the other man.

"A blast just caught me, it's nothing major," Quinn stated, answering the question in O'Neill's eyes.

A smudge of blood and a burn on the upper part of his right sleeve told Jack where he'd been hit.

"It needs patching up," O'Neill stated, not about to take no for an answer. "Where did you get hold of the staff?" he asked Rayner.

"We ran into the Jaffa on the way here. A couple of them were dead, so I liberated it!" Rayner replied.

Jack smiled at him.

"Good initiative Doctor. Where did you learn to fight like this?"

Rayner put the business end of the staff around the corner again and fired blind, before he replied,

"I used to visit a couple of friends in East L.A.!"

O'Neill grinned before he said,

"Hammond wants you back where it's safer."

Major Sizeman, the man in charge of the squad spoke up.

"Sir, we could used Dr Rayner here but Jonas needs a medic to look at that arm."

"Sorry Major, no can do. General Hammond over rules us both on this one."

"Sir!" Sizemore replied, used to the military rulings.

O'Neill helped Jonas to his feet whilst Rayner was busily laying down fire with the purloined staff weapon. He turned to follow O'Neill, giving Sizemore the staff weapon then picking up his hand gun and clicking the safety off.

"What happened to the P90?" O'Neill asked as he was shepherding the two civilians away from the fire fight.

"Lost it when Jonas got hit," Rayner replied shortly.

Unless he was much mistaken there was a story here and Jack intended to hear about it when this emergency was over, assuming it ever was. Behind them a prolonged burst of fire got their attention. Sizemore's men were falling back. One of the troops keeled over, then Sizemore hit the wall hard as he took a blast in the chest.

"Move!" O'Neill barked.

They made the relative safety of a doorway, staff blasts following them all the way.

"Quinn, Rayner, get through that door." O'Neill ordered, nodding at the second door across the room. "It leads into the access corridor parallel to this one. Get back to the control room and stay there."

He turned preparing to lay down covering fire to give Rayner and Quinn time to escape. He heard Quinn run towards the other door, the door opening then the sound of his footsteps ceased. An eerie silence fell in the room. Jack turned to see Quinn backing away from the door, Rayner standing still in the middle of the room, his gun hanging uselessly from one hand and Osiris framed in the doorway, smiling.

"Steven! What an unexpected surprise! I certainly didn't expect to find you here. And in the exalted company of a full Colonel as well, an even better bonus!"

Jack brought his P90 into firing position and let loose a hail of bullets at Osiris, who merely strengthened her personal shield and continued to smile.

"Not very welcoming are you, Colonel?" she asked in her human voice.

"Sarah?" Rayner gasped.

She didn't bother to answer him but pointed the ribbon device at O'Neill. The force threw him from the room against the corridor wall opposite, hard enough to knock him out. The last thing he heard before consciousness completely deserted him was Osiris giving orders to the waiting Jaffa.

"Bring him. He is second in command of this base. He will make a good host if Anubis lets him live."

"Sarah, what are you doing?"

"Be silent human!" was followed by the sound of a handgun firing long enough to empty the clip then the dull thud of a body hitting the ground hard.

Jack tried to fight the blackness crowding into his mind, he fought it for a few seconds but it sucked him into itself closing down his brain.

As soon as he saw Sarah again Steven's memory began to return properly. The events which had already surfaced resequenced themselves into the correct timeline order. His flight to Cairo. Hiring a tough, if fairly ancient, Land Rover, arriving at the temple. Using the amulet for its true purpose, as a key to open the hidden compartment. Then his nightmare time at Sarah's hands. Involuntarily he shuddered as he remembered how she had thoroughly tortured him for whatever information she could get out of him, before he lost consciousness. Then Daniel talking to him and then Daniel talking to Sarah, calling her Osiris. This was no longer Sarah. Sarah had been taken as a Goa'uld host, this was Osiris.

Recovering from his shocked state Rayner aimed and fired at her. The bullets bouncing harmlessly from the shield. She waited until he'd emptied the clip then with insolent ease she backhanded him viciously, he hit the ground and lay still, stunned.

Osiris nodded at the waiting Jaffa, who roughly picked up O'Neill and Rayner, brought Jonas with them and followed their master as she strode along the corridor heading back towards the Stargate.

Steven let his body stay relaxed, allowing the two Jaffa to drag him along between them, his feet trailing on the ground. His mind was thinking furiously and he was listening hard for any clues as to where they were being taken. From the way gun fire was getting heavier he judged they must be near the gate room. Then his feet were being dragged across metal not concrete flooring. The ramp sang with the tramp of so many pairs of feet. Then he was somewhere he'd never expected to be, in the wormhole. The feeling of speed and moving lights on his closed eyelids was nauseating. As he was dragged out of the second Stargate he felt frozen. It took a huge effort not to struggle away and step back through the wormhole. He heard Osiris address the Jaffa guard in Goa'uld giving him orders which he translated easily. They were being ordered to take O'Neill, Jonas and himself to a holding cell until Anubis returned.

The number of marching feet diminished considerably so Rayner risked a quick look. He was at the back of the little group. Jonas was just in front of him. Jack was probably at the head of this little procession. The softer sound of scores of shuffling feet alerted him to another group rounding the corner ahead, coming towards them. They were airmen wearing battle dress uniform meekly following their captors. Taking a chance, Rayner waited until the corridor was full of people trying to get past each other. His Jaffa guards had relaxed their hold on him, thinking he was still unconscious, so it wasn't too difficult to pull away from them and drop to the ground. He hared off back down the corridor the way they had come, expecting every second to feel a searing blast from a staff weapon ending his escape attempt. There was certainly a lot of shouting but the airmen spread out all along the corridor made it nearly impossible for the guards to get a clear shot at him. He ran making random turns into ornate corridors until he was sure his pursuers must be as lost as he was. Stepping behind a partition wall he waited until his heart rate dropped to something approaching normal and he had caught his breath. He pulled a second hand gun from the back of his pants and checked the clip. This was Quinn's gun. He had taken charge of it when Quinn got shot. There were seven shots left from a nine shot clip so it would have to be used sparingly. He looked around. It appeared he had been brought to a Goa'uld mothership. Some of Daniel's notes had dealt with his time aboard a mothership and Daniel, being Daniel, had been characteristically thorough in his reports. He had recorded the layout, as he remembered it, in meticulous detail. Rayner, in his own way being just as thorough, had memorised it. Taking a careful look around and finding the immediate area quite empty he set off to get his bearings his intention being to get back to the Stargate and get off this ship. If he could do so with O'Neill and Quinn, even better.

Two Jaffa, in full armour, stepped from the wormhole and strode forward. The room where the Stargate resided was empty. Neither were challenged as they entered the body of the ship. Keeping a good marching pace, the pair headed down to the lower levels of the ship, the place where the human slaves were kept, when not required by their masters and the also the place where the condemned were held. The secure holding cells were not well guarded, surprisingly. There were only two Jaffa standing each side of a doorway. As they drew near the two guards drew themselves up to attention as two more Jaffa came out of a cell, followed by Osiris. The two Jaffa stopped and bowed respectfully as Osiris and her entourage passed by, but the System Lord failed to acknowledge them. When Osiris had swept out of sight they continued on.

The taller of the Jaffa stepped forward and addressed the guards on the door in Goa'uld.

"You are required on the Peltak level. We are here to relieve you."

The guard so addressed, inclined his armoured head to his brother Jaffa and both of them departed for the Peltak level, whilst the two new guards took up their stations. Both Jaffa were motionless long after they were alone on the corridor. After a time the smaller of the two Jaffa turned and opened the door to the holding cell. Inside the occupant rested on the floor, the back wall supporting him. He appeared to have only had the strength to drag himself partially upright and was holding his arm across his ribs carefully. His face was a bloodied mask. His left eye was swollen shut and both lips had been split leaving a bloody trail of spittle running down his chin. His shirt was ripped in places allowing glimpses of his bruising skin and his feet were bare. Even his toes looked discoloured. When he saw the two Jaffa enter the cell, his face twisted as he tried to turn his head to the side in a vain attempt to escape their attentions. The taller Jaffa spoke to the smaller one.

"O'Neill is not here."

"Jonas, where is Colonel O'Neill? Do you know where they've taken him?"

Jonas stared uncomprehendingly at the two guards. Impatiently the taller one allowed the armour shrouding his head to open, the smaller Jaffa doing the same. Teal'c and Sam regarded their injured colleague with compassion.

"Jonas do you know where the Colonel is?" Sam asked again gently.

Painfully Jonas moved his mouth, trying to speak through the swelling tissues.

"'Took 'im. An'bis."

"Anubis took him?" Teal'c questioned.

Jonas looked past Teal'c and Sam and said clearly,

"No!"

They turned to see Rayner standing in the doorway, a gun pointing at them. As soon as he recognised them he put up the weapon quickly.

"Sam, Teal'c! I thought you were the next ones on the torture detail. I was going to shoot you. We need to get him out of here. He needs medical attention quickly."

Jonas coughed softly, his face pulling into a mask of pain.

"StevenRayner, we need to find O'Neill," Teal'c said.

"A squadron of Anubis personal guard took Jack. Osiris said they were taking him to Anubis ship and then both of these ships will be leaving. We haven't got much time."

"How do you know all this?" Sam asked.

"I've been wandering this ship for hours before I got down here. I managed to get into the cell next door. I had to listen whilst they beat O'Neill to a bloody pulp and then started on Jonas. There were too many for me to deal with, with just one hand gun."

"Do you know how badly injured the Colonel is?"

Rayner didn't reply at first, then he said,

"They were taking him to a sarcophagus aboard Anubis' ship."

"We've got to get him off there!" Sam said.

"I concur, but Jonas Quinn should be taken back through the Stargate," Teal'c replied.

"Sam, there are a lot of airmen being kept in rooms all the way along this corridor," Rayner told her.

"Teal'c go with Steven and I'll get Jonas ready to leave."

Both men exited the cell and moved along the corridor to the next cell. This was a much larger cell holding around twenty men. None of them showed a glimmer of interest in their visitors.

Teal'c looked at the men then said loudly,

"Stand up!"

All of them immediately got to their feet. Rayner looked at him in surprise.

"What's the matter with them? Are they drugged?"

"In a manner of speaking. It is a biological weapon which keeps slaves docile. They respond to commands but the organism takes away their will to do anything other than obey orders."

Rayner caught on quickly. He went to the next two cells and ordered the men to their feet then outside into the corridor. Teal'c replaced his armour and then he and Rayner went to help Sam. Jonas was standing painfully and leaning heavily on Sam for support. She helped him out into the corridor. Teal'c told the nearest two airmen to assist Jonas carefully. He hung between the two men breathing shallowly.

"Keep him in the middle of the group," Teal'c ordered.

Obediently the men formed a loose group around Jonas. Sam replaced her armour and prepared to lead the men to the Stargate, Teal'c looking after their six with Rayner. En route to the Gate room each time they passed other Jaffa Rayner assumed the shambling walk of the men in front of him. None of the Jaffa paid them much attention until they were almost at the Stargate DHD. A small squadron of Jaffa marched past but their leader turned back to address Sam.

"Where are you taking these Tau'ri?" he barked in Goa'uld.

"Work detail," Teal'c replied.

Rayner surreptitiously drew his gun, preparing to fight.

"On who's orders?"

"Osiris."

"Wait here," the imperious Jaffa ordered striding out of the room to a communications console mounted on the wall.

Imperceptibly Teal'c motioned his head at Sam to begin dialling. Rayner moved up smoothly to take her staff weapon and moved to the doorway, keeping in the shadows. She had four chevrons encoded before the Jaffa heard her.

"I told you to wait!" he shouted from the corridor outside.

"And I told him to dial," Teal'c replied. "We have our orders from our god Osiris."

The sound of the last chevron locking and the wormhole stabilising reached the Jaffa outside.

"I gave no order to have these men moved," the arrogant voice of Osiris rang out, as the Goa'uld appeared at the end of the corridor.

Teal'c didn't waste any more time arguing and began firing, quickly taking out two Jaffa guards whilst Rayner fired in the other direction at three more Jaffa.

"Go!" Rayner shouted, then his voice rose to a strangled scream as two blasts caught him, one on the right hip, the other skimming his right shoulder as he went down. Osiris smiled coldly at his pain. Her smile turning to puzzlement as Rayner lifted the staff weapon and fired at the ceiling above her head. The ensuing damage took out the light source and brought down part of the decking on those standing below. Quickly Teal'c almost carried Rayner into the Gate room. Sam was getting the last of the airmen through the wormhole when Teal'c heard Osiris screaming at someone to put the ship underway, knowing that would disrupt the wormhole and close it prematurely. He and Rayner virtually threw themselves into the event horizon. Grimly he hung on to Doctor Rayner not knowing if they would reach the other Stargate or be stranded forever as free energy in the space between them. He gave a heartfelt sigh of relief as he stepped out onto the metal ramp at the other end. A bright shower of sparks rained down on them as the wormhole behind him immediately disengaged. Osiris had got the ship underway just a few seconds too late. Teal'c and Rayner moved as quickly as possible out of the way as the electrical cables around the gate exploded plunging the room into temporary darkness before the emergency lighting cut in.

At his side Rayner collapsed. Gently Teal'c lowered the man to the concrete at the bottom of the ramp. Medical teams were weaving their way through the mass of airmen, checking for immediate injury. Jonas was already being treated at one side of the room. Teal'c allowed four medical technicians to get Steven onto a gurney. He could head Sam shouting at the Sergeant in the control room to redial the coordinates of Osiris' ship. Teal'c cleared the ramp and ran to the control room as the chevrons began to lock.

"The seventh chevron will not lock," the Sergeant told Sam apologetically.

"Try again," she ordered.

"Major Carter," Hammond said.

"Sir."

"Major, where is Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond asked.

"He's on Anubis' ship. I'm trying to dial back to Osiris' ship then we can transport from there."

"I do not believe this will be successful, Major Carter. Osiris ordered her ship to depart those coordinates in order to disengage the wormhole."

"Seventh chevron will not engage," the Sergeant repeated, as the wormhole failed to establish.

Sam could feel her eyes filling as she said,

"We couldn't extract him Sir."

"God help him!" Hammond muttered, quite well aware of the horrors in store for his 2IC.

Taking a deep breath Sam ordered the sergeant to,

"Try again."

"Belay that, airmen. Major Carter we're not going to be able to get back onto that ship," he said gently. "We'll contact the Tok'ra, they may be able to get an address for us."

"Yes, Sir," she replied tearfully, knowing by then it would be too late to help the Colonel.

"Sir, I need authorisation for an emergency medevac to Academy hospital. I no longer have the facilities here to treat these men," Fraiser told Hammond.

"You have it Doctor. Do whatever you need to."

Fraiser returned to her patients to find Dr Rayner's dark eyes open, regarding her curiously.

"Why can't you treat us here?" he asked, trying not to move too much.

"Anubis and his Jaffa did a lot of damage around the base. They almost completely destroyed my infirmary, as well as a lot of the power supplies," she replied.

He raised his eyebrows at the news before asking,

"How's Jonas?"

"Not good," she said honestly. "How are you feeling?"

"Not good," he replied, just as honestly. "If I'd known archaeology in the Air Force was this dangerous I wouldn't have joined up."

She smiled at his attempt at a joke.

"Dr Jackson used to say the same thing, usually when he was getting his injections up to date and had a butt full of needle holes."

Rayner smiled at that, then winced as the movement pulled at his shoulder.

"Sorry," Fraiser apologised. "I'll try not to make you laugh."

She could see, even in the emergency lighting, a sadness in his eyes which hadn't been there before. He suddenly seemed to be a lot older and harder.

"Sam can't dial back to the ship, can she?"

"It doesn't look like it," Fraiser replied.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help Colonel O'Neill," he said softly. "I could hear the Jaffa beating the hell out of him up and I couldn't do anything to help him or Jonas."

"You did what you could Steven. You helped get Jonas and our airmen out as well. Don't be too hard on yourself," she told him while preparing a painkilling injection and a hefty sedative as well. Reaction was setting in along with shock from his injuries. She administered the injections and covered him with a heat retaining blanket. It didn't take long for his eyelids to begin to droop as the drugs took effect. He was asleep before he was prepared for transportation to the surface.

Jack opened his eyes as the leaves on the sarcophagus slowly parted. Rough hands reached in to get him out of the chamber and to his feet. He tried to pull away from the Jaffa, expecting to feel the searing pain from multiple broken bones again, but the sarcophagus had done it's job and his body was healed once more. Not so his mind. The last time he hadn't been quite dead before they'd thrown him into the sarcophagus. He still remembered the leaves closing over his head and beginning to panic before the machine had put him to sleep whilst it healed him. Irritated he reached up to scratch at the small metal button which was the only external sign of the device Anubis had implanted in his brain. The Jaffa on his right stopped him touching it. He turned and snarled throwing himself at the guard. At some point, in this endless treadmill of injury and death, it had permeated his mind that the more he fought the quicker they let him die. The pattern had repeated and repeated and become ingrained. The guard laughed at him as O'Neill punched armour with his bare fist. Flecks of foam speckled his lips as he turned on the other guard, kicking, punching and biting like a wild animal.

"Are we getting any useful information at all from him now?" Osiris asked gazing dispassionately at the monitor.

"Not anymore. The sarcophagus is not healing his mind," Anubis replied.

"Feeble creatures."

"You were admiring his tenacity for the first twenty six times," Anubis reminded Osiris.

"He has a strong body, and has been well trained unfortunately his mind is weak," Osiris replied disdainfully.

"Disappointed? Were you hoping to change hosts?"

"This host is more than adequate."

Anubis turned to look at her, then looked back at the monitor. The guards had O'Neill on the floor now and were steadily kicking him. He clinically noted, from the blood and plasma running from his ears, the man's skull had been fractured.

"I think we have everything we can get from this one. Pity his mind collapsed. You were correct, he would have made a good host," Anubis said.

"If we have everything we're going to get don't waste power reviving him again. Put the body in the waste hold. We can eject it when we drop out of hyperspace."

"Very well, if you are so bored with the Tau'ri, give the order."

"He dies so quickly now," Osiris complained. "Look! He lasts no time at all!"

Anubis turned back to the monitor. The guards were bundling him up to replace him in the sarcophagus.

"Then get rid of the body," he told his companion as he turned his attention to other things.

The pair charged with removing the body and cleaning the mess from the deck were well used to their duties. As the Goa'uld servant held the Tau'ri prior to letting him slide down into the hold, he slightly turned his arm which turned the injured man onto his left side. Knowing a little of Tau'ri physiology he knew lying on that side would promote a quicker death for the man. He was careful not to let his companion see this. As an undercover Tok'ra he had had no chance to help the Tau'ri but he was making a best attempt now to make sure he shouldn't suffer for much longer.

The clang as the waste hold doors shut him in the dark and freezing cold roused O'Neill slightly. Deep within his shattered mind something recognised a difference from the usual round of torture and revival. He hurt and it was getting worse with every shallow bubbling gasp for air. There was a glow against his closed eyelids but he didn't open his eyes. Animal cunning told him to keep his eyes closed, that way they stopped hitting him for a while. A breeze floated across his skin, cooling the sweat and drying the blood.

"Jack!"

The dying man didn't respond. He couldn't remember that was his name.

"Jack, it's me. It's Daniel."

Something connected on the word 'Daniel'. A fleeting spark, then it was gone. Something brushed his skin, the contact feeling warm and soothing.

"Oh Jack! What have they done to you?"

There were tears in the voice now.

"Every man must find his own path, Daniel."

"I know Oma. I know," he replied, resigned to what might happen.

"His mind has retreated, you may not be able to reach him."

"But I want to try."

"No-one would try and stop you. If you can reach him he will be made welcome, as you were."

Oma paused, waiting for Daniel.

"If I can't reach his mind, then I'll stay with him until he dies. He was going to do no less for me."

"Is this just obligation?"

"No, not just obligation. You know that."

"Yes. Perhaps I do."

The two bright glowing clouds were suddenly surrounded by others of their kind.

"Do you wish us to stay as well?" they asked with one voice.

"Thank you my friends, but no," Daniel replied, grateful for the support.

As each being departed they touched Daniel, leaving something of their essence with him. Giving him, in their way, their complete understanding, and also comforting him on seeing his friend in such pain. Oma remained behind after the others had left.

"Jack O'Neill has done many things in his life that he would not reveal, not even to you."

"He is a soldier, a warrior. He's taken life but also protected life. I think he has tried to balance his actions," Daniel replied.

"The concept of atonement," Oma said simply.

She sank down near to Jack's body and touched his hair.

"You haven't much time. He's letting go. Try not to stay in his mind if he chooses to die, Daniel. He needs to begin that journey alone."

Then she too left.

Daniel sank down to the filthy decking. He was momentarily grateful he didn't have a sense of smell in this form.

He carefully turned Jack from his left side and propped him in a semi sitting position. He could feel Jack's body giving up its unequal fight to survive. His lungs were filling with blood and fluids and his heart was becoming congested. His torn kidneys were busily releasing their 'suicide' toxins into his bloodstream to hasten his death. His brain, inside its broken case, was damaged too.

Daniel prepared to track down and try to reason with what was left of Jack's mind. He chose to use the form Jack would be most familiar with, his old corporeal form. He 'pushed' and found a way into Jack's fractured mind.

Daniel found himself in a house. It looked old but had been kept in good repair though now a layer of dust lay over the tables and chairs. It was dim and quite cool though not cold. He wandered across to the armchairs and sofa. They looked sturdy and comfortable, though dusty as well. A low fire burned in the grate. As he watched the flames flickered and died leaving faintly glowing embers. Somewhere within the house he could hear someone sobbing quietly, as if they had been crying for a long, long time. Daniel climbed the creaking stairs to the upstairs rooms following the sound. Halfway up the stairs he glanced back into the room below. Each piece of furniture was shrouded in dust covers now and it was getting very dark. No illumination penetrated from outside the windows. The house was being systematically shut down. The owner was getting ready to leave.

At the top of the stairs a long corridor stretched before him, rooms on either side. The wood of the flooring and the panels showed previous care though now were dulled from neglect. Daniel peered into all the rooms as he passed. Most were sparsely furnished, but what pieces there were showed taste and elegance. In one room he stopped to look around properly. It was a child's room, a boy, Daniel guessed from the airplanes hanging by threads from the ceiling and the baseball mitt on the dresser. In here everything was bright and clean and shining. A hockey stick in the corner competed for room with spiked shoes and ice skates. A baseball bat had fallen over and lay across the skates, the ball had rolled into the centre of the room. Mechanically Daniel picked the bat up and placed it upright next to the hockey stick. He picked the ball up and put it on the dresser in the catchers' mitt. Above the mitt were two framed photographs, one of a gap toothed boy, grinning at the camera, the other showed a younger, happier Jack in casual clothes cuddled up to a blonde haired woman with the same little boy between them. Charlie. This was Charlie's room. Daniel wondered if this room bore any physical resemblance to Charlie's real bedroom. As he left the sunshine filled room, he closed the door, preserving this little bright oasis within a rapidly darkening house. Daniel concentrated on trying to find the source of the distress. He walked slowly along the hall to a door at the far end. The door opened onto a small, narrow staircase. Behind him the darkness was encroaching and had reached the top of the stairs and was beginning to creep along the hallway. Daniel ascended the narrow stairs emerging into an attic room. The sound of crying was louder now. In stark contrast to the rest of the house there was so much clutter up here it was difficult to move without knocking something over. Carefully Daniel navigated his way around a broken rocking chair, a pair of skis, climbing ropes and a football. Crouched in a corner with his head on his knees a young boy was crying. He looked up at Daniel's approach and glared at him.

"Hello," Daniel said.

"Go away. You're not real," the boy replied, putting his head down again.

"I am real Jack."

"Who's Jack?" the boy asked looking at him out of red rimmed eyes.

"Aren't you Jack?"

"No."

"Oh. What is your name?"

"What's yours?"

"I'm Daniel."  
"I used to know someone called Daniel."

"That's me."

The boy considered this then shook his head.

"No, you can't be," he said decisively. "Daniel's not here anymore."

"Where did your Daniel go?"

"He just went away. He couldn't stay here anymore."

"Can you remember why he couldn't stay?" Daniel asked, sitting down cross legged on the floor opposite the boy.

"Nope."

"Try and remember where he is," Daniel coaxed.

A sudden hard glitter came into the boy's eyes as he looked at Daniel.

"Why do you want to know where Daniel is? Who are you anyway?"

"I told you, I'm Daniel Jackson."

"No you're not! This is a trick. I don't know who you are. You're just trying to get information out of me."

"No, I'm not. I'm trying to help you."

The boy in front of him seemed to crouch down and then expand suddenly. Where the child had been sitting a huge wolf had taken his place, a red light gleamed in its eyes as it growled at him and then rushed him, knocking him onto his back. The wolf straddled him, its breath hot on his face while it growled ferociously at him.

"Alright Jack. If you want to hurt me, go ahead, I won't stop you. But I'm not going to hurt you."

Daniel closed his eyes and lifted his head, exposing his vulnerable throat to the animals gaze. He felt it dip its head then stop. It sniffed his skin but did nothing else. Daniel kept very still. Finally with a whine it sat back down and looked at him. He took that as permission to sit up again, carefully.

"I won't hurt you," he repeated. "I'm your friend."

The wolf put its head down and then he was looking at a young man.

"How can you be my friend when I don't know you?"

"You do know me, you've just forgotten who I am."

"So why would you want to call some guy your friend when he can't even remember you?"

"Because we've been through a lot together."

"What? What have we been through? Can't have been that memorable, can it?"

"You saved my life. You saved thousands of people on Abydos, millions of people on Earth."

"I think you got the wrong guy, buddy. I would have remembered doing all that!" the young man said laughing.

"You did do all that and more," Daniel told him earnestly.

The other man remained silent for a time, thinking deeply.

"Abydos? It's got a lot of desert."  
"Yeah," Daniel said with a smile, "A lot of desert. Kasuf, you remember him?"

"Kasuf. Kasuf. And a boy called Skaara," he said triumphantly.

"That's right. He's a young man now."

"Shau're. You married Shau're?"  
"Yes, Shau're was my wife, she was the daughter of good father Kasuf."

"Shau're died, didn't she?"

"Yes, she's dead," Daniel agreed.

"No! No! She was a Goa'uld! This is a trick. You implanted one of those brain recorders in me. You're a Goa'uld!"

The man was shouting at Daniel then he rushed him and punched him in the face. To Daniel's surprise the blow connected and sent him crashing to the floor, blood pouring from his nose. The sight of blood seemed to calm the man down.

"Oh man! Hey I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry."

The hands which reached to help Daniel up were the ones Daniel was used to seeing. He looked up to see Jack's familiar face gazing down at him, his grey hair a little mussed and a worried look in his brown eyes.

"Daniel, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I lost it there for a while."

"Guess you did Jack. Nice to have you back."  
"Are you OK?" Jack asked producing a handkerchief to stem the blood.

"Yeah."

Daniel concentrated for a second on reforming his body, without a bust nose, then wriggled his nose experimentally.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied smiling.

"You're not real are you?" Jack asked sadly, watching the performance.

"I'm as real as you are Jack," he said.

"They can't have captured you too."

"No. I came here looking for you."

Jack went to replace his hankie in his pocket and swayed on his feet alarmingly.

"Whoa! Hold on there Jack!" Daniel said, catching hold of the other man to stop him falling.

"Don't feel so good Danny,"

"Here, let's get you sitting down here," Daniel said as he guided Jack to floor.

It hadn't escaped Daniel's notice that the darkness was spreading around them like a black fog.

Jack wasn't strong enough to sit so Daniel let him lie down and pulled Jack's head to rest on his crossed thighs. Jack seemed to slip into a doze for a few minutes. Daniel touched his forehead. The skin felt cool and a little clammy. He began to stroke the unruly grey hair whilst retaining hold of one of Jack's hands.

"You still here?" Jack asked without opening his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Jack's lips curled in a half smile.

"I'm dying aren't I?" he asked opening his eyes and looking up at Daniel's face.

Daniel nodded.

"Are they going to let me go this time?"

"Yes."

Jack nodded in acceptance.

"You don't need to stay here. You could come with me," Daniel suggested.

Jack shook his head.

"Thought only the pure in spirit were allowed in."

"If that were really the case I wouldn't have been allowed in."  
"You always had a pure spirit. Always tried to do what was right…."  
"But didn't always manage it," Daniel finished for him. "You are no different."

"You don't know the half of it Danny boy," Jack told him softly.

Daniel was silently making connections. The crying child had been Jack, mourning the things he felt bad about doing in his life. The savage animal and the angry young man manifestations of what he felt himself to have been. The child had been genuinely sorry as evidenced by his tears and the wolf was a much misunderstood and maligned animal. It protected the sick and the elderly of the pack as well as the young, very much like Jack had done in his life. The angry young man, angry with a system against which he couldn't win forcing him to commit acts which whilst necessary were morally wrong. Hitting out at it and wanting to run away before he became part of that system.

"Well, let me see. What could an ex-special forces Colonel have done? Assassinate people, get involved in a few dirty little wars, here and there? Am I getting warm?"  
Jack didn't answer, he didn't need to.

"And what would have happened if you hadn't done those things? More people would have died. More lives wasted. You put your life on the line so many times. You told me when you were captured once you came back with a drug addiction. You knew what the pain of coming off a drug is like and you willingly used that experience to help me with my sarcophagus addiction. You helped Teal'c get his son and his wife back. You have done so many things to help others. If you're weighing your life like a balance sheet the good most definitely outweighs the bad. You have more than atoned for your misdeeds."  
"Who can really make a judgement on that?"

"I can. So can Teal'c and Sam. George Hammond and Janet Fraiser, Skaara, Steven Rayner, Jonas, Kowalsky, Thor, Sara. In some way or another they all…."

"What? Admire me?"

"Love you. I'm not afraid of words, Jack, I never have been."

Jack lay thinking before finally making his decision.

"It's not enough Daniel. Whatever I have done, it will never be enough."

"Then don't give up now. Keep on helping, keep on trying to atone."

"How can I atone? I'm dying Danny!"  
"Then don't do it for yourself Jack. Do it for Charlie."  
"Charlie's dead. He shot himself with my gun!" Jack ground out harshly.

"And if you let Anubis win how many more Charlie's will there be? How many more young boys will there be who won't get the chance to grow up free? They'll be claimed as hosts or put into service as Jaffa. Their children will taken and their children's children. How many more?"

"How can I stop that happening?"  
"Come with me, help us!"

"Danny, I don't know how," Jack whispered, closing his eyes. "I'm afraid."

"There's no need to be afraid. I'm here. Reach out with your mind."  
Jack opened his eyes and then closed them, firmly in order to concentrate as Daniel did the same.

"I'm not sure I can do this, Danny."

"You can," Daniel replied without opening his eyes. He could feel the nearby presence of others of the Ascended.

"For Charlie," Daniel whispered.

"For Charlie," Jack repeated.

Daniel opened his eyes and watched as Jack's face began to transfigure into bright white light, the luminescence rapidly spreading throughout his body. Then a glowing white being danced before his eyes, its brilliance illuminating every corner of the room banishing the black fog around them. It grew so bright for a moment it obliterated sight of the walls then it faded back to a more bearable level. The walls Daniel now saw were the metal walls of the hold of Anubis ship. Both of them were surrounded by a host of the Ascended.

"Daniel!" Jack cried out sounding the most unsure Daniel had ever heard him.

"It's alright Jack, I'm right here," Daniel said calmly.

"O'Neill, welcome," Oma said simply. "Come, we have much to teach you."

For once Jack's smart mouth was silenced as he followed Oma and the Ascended. Below him the outer hull doors to the waste hold opened, the contents were sucked into space and scattered, his empty clothing along with the rest of the unwanted rubbish.

*****

Selmec and Jacob's reaction to the latest intelligence report was very nearly identical. They both had a lot of respect for Colonel O'Neill and to hear of the manner of his death was difficult.

"He's sure about this?"

"There is no mistake Jacob," the other man continued, "He was insane, unconscious and dying when he was put into the waste hold. Our operative could do nothing."

Jacob nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Selmec stepped into the breach addressing the council.

"We thank you for telling us. We must take this news to the Tau'ri as quickly as possible."

"Would you and Jacob be the ones to do this service?"

"We would," Selmec answered for them both. "Jacob can then reassure himself that Samantha is well after the attack on the SGC base."

'Thank you my friend', Jacob relayed to Selmec.

'You are welcome,' Selmec replied with the hint of a smile. Unlike his host, Selmec was quite certain Major Carter could more than take care of herself.

Walking through the Stargate into a base lit only by dim, red emergency light was an unnerving experience. The surroundings seemed to match the grim news he was bearing.

"Jacob, good to see you," Hammond said quietly coming forward to greet the other man.

"I wish it were under better circumstances, George," Jacob replied holding out his hand.

Hammond did not have to be told that Jacob was bearer of ill tidings, he'd seen the same look on other men's faces enough to know.

Jacob turned to his daughter holding out his arms.

"Hi Sam," he said quietly as he gathered her close relieved to see her safe and well.

"Dad," she replied, hugging him back. Then feeling the tension in him asked, "What's wrong?"

"Jacob, Major, shall we join the others in the briefing room?" Hammond asked, motioning to them both towards the door.

"I'll tell you all together, Sam," Jacob promised gently.

"It's Jack isn't? You've found him?"

Jacob didn't answer. Instead he draped his arm across his daughter's shoulders and guided her to the briefing room. Once there, Jacob didn't waste time getting to the point. He sat and looked around at the expectant faces of his daughter, Teal'c and George and said,

"There's never an easy way to say this so I'll just get on with it. I'm very sorry but we have received intelligence that Colonel O'Neill is dead."

The silence in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"You are sure? There could be no mistake?" George asked.

Jacob shook his head.

"No George. No mistake. We heard from one of our operatives aboard Anubis' ship."

"How…." Sam took a breath to steady her voice, "How did he die?"

Jacob waited before replying softly,

"Don't ask that Sam, please."

"I think we have a right to know Dad," she replied firmly, a little annoyed that her father was treating her like a child, but at the same time understanding the reasons why. She knew it wouldn't have been an easy death.

Jacob shook his head again.

"Sam sweetheart, it wasn't pleasant. Trust me on this one, you don't want to hear how Jack died."

"No, I don't want to hear, Dad, but I need to know," Sam told him, fixing him with her large blue eyes.

Jacob looked to Hammond for support.

"Jacob, I can imagine how hard this is for you, but with the exception of Jonas Quinn, Major Carter and Teal'c are all that remains of Colonel O'Neill's unit. They deserve to know how their CO died."

Jacob took a deep breath, preparing himself, before speaking quickly.

"OK George."

He paused and sighed again before continuing in an emotionless tone,

"Colonel O'Neill was repeatedly beaten to death and then revived using a sarcophagus. When Anubis had no further use for him he was left to die and his remains ejected into space."

This time the silence was broken by the sound of a woman crying quietly.

"Couldn't your operative help him?" Sam asked through her tears.

"No, he couldn't. Vedion is undercover as a servant aboard that ship and you know as well as I do what that entails. By the time he realised who Colonel O'Neill was, he was already far beyond any human or Tok'ra help. The torture and sarcophagus cycle had taken his mind, as well as damaged his body."

Jacob paused before continuing,

"You all knew Jack better than I did but even I have figured out he isn't the type of man who would have wanted to carry on living in a mentally and physically disabled state. Isn't that right Sam?"

"Yes," she replied tearfully. "He wouldn't have wanted that."

Hammond stared down at the table top in silence. So many good men had died in the attack on this base. Colonel O'Neill was one more to add to that tally.

"Jacob, there will be a memorial service tomorrow at 0900 hours for all the men who died in the attack on the SGC. Can you stay for the service?"

"I would be honoured George," Jacob replied, then Selmec spoke, "I too would be honoured to pay my respects to the bravery of the Tau'ri who died in defence of this base."

"How many died?" Jacob asked.

"Including Colonel O'Neill, thirty two. The death toll could have been a lot higher if Major Carter and Teal'c hadn't risked their own lives rescuing over fifty airmen from Anubis' ship."

Jacob raised a half smile for his daughter, saying,

"Well done Teal'c. Good work kid."

"Not quite good enough though, was it Dad?"

"Samantha, we did not have the resources to find and rescue Colonel O'Neill. I grieve with you. I too wish we could have brought him back," Teal'c said.

"I know it isn't much, but we can have any ships out that way keep a look out for his body," Jacob offered.

"That would be appreciated, Jacob," Hammond replied, then he stood saying,

"Major, would you escort your father to the VIP quarters?"

"Sir," she replied automatically.

When she had seen her father to his quarters Sam spent a little time talking with him. But he hadn't spent as much time with Jack as she and Teal'c had. Jacob tried to offer what comfort he could but he knew Sam would have to work through her grief in her own way, as she had had to when Daniel ascended. Sam felt the powerful need to be with someone who had spent a lot of time with both Jack and Daniel. She left her father and went to find Teal'c, who had been expecting her. He ushered her into his quarters and coaxed her to eat something. She sat on the floor near the big Jaffa as they spent a couple of hours sometimes talking of Jack and Daniel, sometimes remaining silent with their own thoughts. The silences didn't feel awkward at all. In Teal'c's presence they were comforting.

Some time later Sam remarked,

"We should be doing this with a big group of Jack and Daniel's friends and with a lot of alcohol."

"A wake?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah, that's right, a wake. We never got chance to give Daniel a good send off, we should do that now. He's not going to come back and neither is Jack."

She went quiet suddenly.

"You wonder if they have found each other?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"No. I have spent many years in your company Samantha. I also knew O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. It would be natural to hope they at least had a chance to say their farewells to each other."

"I hope they did," Sam murmured.

Teal'c got up from the floor and went to the back wall of his quarters.

"Does a wake always involve alcohol, Samantha?"

"Usually. Why?"

"Would wine be appropriate?" he asked, holding up two bottles. "At the Tau'ri festival of Christmas, these were delivered to my quarters. May I offer you a bottle?"

Sam smiled through her tears.

"A glass, Teal'c. You offer a glass of wine."

He inclined his head solemnly.

"May I offer you a glass of wine, Samantha?"

A knock on Teal'c's door stopped Sam giving an immediate answer.

Steven Rayner stood framed in the doorway, looking very unsure of his welcome.

"Steven!" Sam said. "Is Jonas with you? I didn't know you were getting out of hospital so soon."

"I signed myself out when I heard the news. Jonas really isn't well enough to be out of a doctors care." Rayner told her and Teal'c.

"Please enter, Steven Rayner," Teal'c said.

Rayner nodded his head in thanks. His face was pale with deep smudges under his glittering dark eyes. His right arm was in a sling, he was limping on his right leg and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week.

"Is that bottle going spare?" he asked, wistfully, eyeing the Cabernet Merlot in Teal'c's hand.

"Are you allowed to drink yet?" Sam asked cautiously.

"Medically, no. Emotionally, oh yes, please!"

"In that case, join me. We were having a wake for the Colonel and Daniel."

At the last second she remembered that Steven and Daniel hadn't been, perhaps, the best of friends.

"Danny," Rayner said softly, almost smiling. "I know I didn't exactly see eye to eye with him over most things but I miss him! And Jack did his best to make sure I could defend myself, and I miss that as well."

"We too miss Daniel Jackson and O'Neill, Steven Rayner," Teal'c told him, handing him a full tumbler of red wine.

Rayner took the glass gratefully and took a big swallow.

"Here, sit down Steven," Sam said, guiding the other man to a seat on Teal'c's bed. She wasn't too sure what effect the alcohol would have on him once it started mixing with the drugs still in his system. If he was sitting on the bed, she reasoned, he wouldn't have too far to fall.

Several minutes into Steven's story about Daniel and a dig in the equivalent of an ancient Egyptian sewer there was another knock on the door. This time Jacob was standing outlined in the hall light with General Hammond just behind him. Both were bearing several bottles each. A little time later another knock interrupted Teal'c telling his story of when Jack and he had exchanged bodies and Jack's dismay at Teal'c's attempt to shave Jack's grey hair. This time is was Janet, several nurses and Sergeants Siller and Davies, all of whom presented bottles to Teal'c. Sam was beginning to wonder how any work actually got done on the base, given the amount of alcohol apparently secreted all over the place. After a short time Teal'c didn't even bother closing the door. There wasn't much point with so many people wanting to congregate and talk about their memories of the airmen who had died defending their colleagues, and of the Colonel and Daniel. At about quarter past two the next morning most people were drifting away to attempt to get some sleep in preparation for the memorial service. Eventually only the original three were left. Sam had a few glasses of wine inside her and the pain was a little dulled. She and Teal'c were sitting on the floor again, shoulder to shoulder. Gently Teal'c put his arm around her shoulders and gathered her to him and held her there, her arm around his waist, whilst Steven Rayner watched from his seat on Teal'c's bed. Their position reminded him of an illustration in a book he had been given as a child. They looked like two orphans in the snow.

Teal'c broke his fanciful vision when he spoke a few words in Goa'uld.

"What is that?" Sam asked.

Before Teal'c could reply Rayner answered, saying softly,

"The way of the warrior is hard but his path is clear.

He must serve both the needs of the heart and of the soul."

After a short pause Teal'c continued in the same language with Rayner effortlessly translating,

"O'Neill was the heart and Daniel the soul."

All three were quiet before Rayner asked,

The first part is a Jaffa prayer, isn't it?"

Teal'c inclined his head, not releasing Sam.

"It is."

Rayner looked at Teal'c and Sam and felt his presence to be superfluous. He got to his feet and said,

"Time I was leaving to get ready."

Then he turned and addressed them both in Goa'uld.

"I know I didn't know the soul as well as I should, and I had too little time to get to know the heart, but today I truly feel the absence of both."

He executed a slight bow to both of them, then made his slow limping way from Teal'c's quarters.

"Teal'c! What did he say?" Sam asked when there was no translation.

Teal'c looked down at his companion and said,

"Steven Rayner misses O'Neill and Daniel Jackson too."

The memorial service was quiet and dignified. Rayner taking his place with the SGC, insisting, despite Janet's warnings, that he was here on behalf of those who could not be there. Hammond gave the address and read out all the names of those who had perished in the attack. As the plaintive strains of the last post sounded Sam, her eyes red rimmed from alternately crying and laughing far into the night, saluted. Then the wreath of remembrance was gently pushed into the shimmering blue light of the active Stargate, by two of the rescued airmen. Beside her Teal'c bowed low.

After the ceremony Hammond and Jacob disappeared for a talk. Hammond came straight to the point.

"Jacob we don't know how much information Jack may have given away before he died. You know the security routines here, all codes were changed straightaway after the attack. I'd recommend the Tok'ra do the same."

"Already taken care of, George. The one thing we cannot guard against is the knowledge Jack had of Earth's defence capabilities. Anubis had a brain recorder implanted in him."

"If he did that, in God's name why was he tortured?" Hammond asked.

"Because Anubis likes to show his power, and I don't think he's heard of the Geneva Convention!"

Jacob paused before continuing.

"George, Jack wasn't beaten to death for information, he was tortured for entertainment."

Even though he had known what would have happened Hammond still looked shaken to the core.

"I'm not sure why he chose to come through our Stargate then didn't attempt to bring in an invasion force. He could have been up top before we could stop him."

"We think it was part reconnaissance and part sabotage. The Tau'ri, especially this facility, have proven to be difficult to defeat, he's battling for dominance of the System Lords. He won't want any unforeseen interruptions to that. And he would have wanted to see for himself just how rich the pickings are here, for future reference. He's been out of the loop for a long time."

"How can we ever compete with an enemy like that?"

"We have to keep trying George. The Tok'ra have been fighting the Goa'uld for thousands of years. We may have to ally ourselves with those we neither like nor trust but we will defeat Anubis."

"Or die trying," George completed for him.

"Or die trying, although I'd rather keep that as a very last resort. Now I'm going to find my kid and tell her I love her, and then I need to get going. Keep her safe for me George."

Hammond nodded as Jacob took his leave.

A little while later Jacob shook Hammond, Teal'c and Rayner's hands, hugged his daughter, whispered to her and stepped through the gate, keeping his own grief at the loss of so many good people internal. Only Selmec knew how much he was grieving and grieved with him.

Without giving herself time for rest or to work though her own grief, Sam threw herself wholeheartedly into the task of helping to repair the base. If, occasionally, her face looked at little blotchy no-one thought to mention it. Neither did she think to bring to anyone's attention the sight of a colleague wiping their face or blowing their nose whenever certain names were mentioned. After all, allergies could start at any time of life with anyone!

*****

Daniel could feel Jack scouting around and tracking him down. It was a game they had been playing for a while now. He decided to make that particular game a little harder. Jack was getting very, very good at finding who he wanted to find by their energy signature alone. Daniel built a shell of protection around his own energy signature, shielding himself from Jack and any other Ascended being. A few seconds later he heard Oma call him sharply through his shield. When he opened himself again he could feel the distress emanating from Jack like a beacon. Without meaning to he had badly frightened his friend by disappearing so suddenly like that. Oma and several others were, in their turn, shielding Jack and stopping him broadcasting his worry and torment to everyone else. As soon as he felt Daniel's energy signature return he homed in on him.

"Where did you go?" Jack roared at him.

"I didn't go anywhere Jack. It's OK. I'm not hurt," Daniel reassured his worried friend. "It's something you need to learn to do as well."

"Daniel, take him away, calm him down and teach him how to shield himself properly," Oma ordered over the top of Jack's noisy questions. "And don't frighten him like that again," she scolded.

Daniel sent his compliance to her and then spoke to Jack.

"I'm sorry Jack. I just thought you might want more of a challenge tracking me down now. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Where did you go? You disappeared completely. I couldn't feel you or find you," he shouted.

Daniel picked up the unspoken dread that Jack had thought Daniel had met with an accident, like the three unfortunates who had met with Aubis energy bolts and were now existing out of phase with their own kind.

"Come with me and I'll show you how to do that," Daniel promised.

Jack sulked for a few seconds.

"Come on Jack. You need to learn how to do that and you need to learn how to find someone when they are shielding."

"If you wanted to be on your own, you could have just said so," Jack said.

"If I wanted to be on my own, I would have told you. Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, we're never really alone now."

"I know," Jack admitted. "I guess I'm just so used to having everyone around…." He didn't complete the sentence.

"Kinda nice isn't it? Not having any secrets anymore."

Jack laughed.

"I never thought in a million years I would get used to a race of beings knowing everything about me and me knowing everything about them and be so comfortable with it."

"Though not everything is on show here," Daniel warned him.

"What?" Jack asked, then automatically concentrated and checked for blocks. "I don't feel anyone blocking anything."

"You wouldn't. It's very subtle. Just like Oma gives an honest answer to every question you ask her, but it's not given in a straightforward manner. You must come to the truth on your own path."

Jack remained silent, willing to be taught be Daniel.

"Later. Now you learn how to shield yourself."

"You will teach me how to tell if someone is keeping secrets?"

"Yes, I'll teach you how to do that," Daniel promised.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now come on and follow me."

Daniel led Jack into the centre of an ionised cloud. The ionisation would provide a little natural shielding whilst he taught Jack so he wouldn't disturb the other Ascended. Sometimes Jack reminded him of a rambunctious puppy in this new life. Willing and eager try new things and sometimes very noisy and destructive with it!

"Now concentrate on my energy signature, as you do when you're trying to find me."  
"OK, I know how to do that."

"Don't go off the deep end again, but keep concentrating," Daniel told Jack.

Quickly he masked his own energy for a few seconds then went back to normal.

"What did you feel?"

"You were there and then you weren't and then you were back again," Jack replied.

"I'm going to do that again, but for longer this time. See if you can find where I am."

"How can I do that Daniel, if I can't see your energy?"

Daniel was tempted to give Jack the knowledge directly but that wouldn't help him really. He needed to figure out how to do this himself.

"You know my energy pattern and you know I'm haven't really gone anywhere. Try and find the differences," Daniel instructed as he quickly masked himself again.

This time he stayed hidden for a much longer time. It felt a little odd to be cut off from the universe and for communication with others of his kind to be so muted, but in order to teach Jack he willingly continued with the exercise. Cautiously he unmasked himself again, casting about for Jack's unique energy pattern. When he couldn't immediately locate it he concentrated harder. He'd done it! Jack had really done a very, very good job of concealing himself. Daniel could only feel the barest trace of Jack. Then suddenly he seemed to be completely surrounded by that energy pattern and then he felt muted and cut off again, but Daniel wasn't shielding himself at all.

"Gotcha!" a quietly triumphant Jack said.

"You're shielding us both! That's excellent, Jack."

"It's not too difficult once you get the hang of it. I think I need more practice at finding people though."

"Err, don't just go barging in if you sense someone shielding!" Daniel warned him, having done that himself.

"Oh!" Jack replied picking up on his memory. "Ohh! They weren't bothered at all, were they?"

"No. It's just considered good manners to shield when sharing pleasure. But they are so open and honest about everything it takes a bit of getting used to."

"They offered to let you join in!" Jack laughed.

Daniel was uncomfortably aware that his energy signature was shifting along to, what in a human, would be termed hideously self-conscious and embarrassed.

"It's wasn't that funny!" he snapped as Jack continued laughing.

"Yes it was, 'fess up!"

"Alright, yes it was funny," Daniel grudgingly admitted. "Now about practising more," he said, hoping to change the subject.

"So have you…?"

"No! Well," he amended. "Not with any other Ascended."

"Still owe you for that one," Jack replied softly.

"I'm not keeping score."

Cautiously Jack stroked Daniel's form. At the point where their energy frequencies met their forms fizzed and popped slightly. The sensation felt very pleasant to them both. In their new forms they hadn't ever touched before. They didn't need to when thoughts and emotions were generally so open and easily read.

"Wow!" Jack said reverently as he tried it again.

"Jack!"

"What? We both want this. It feels incredible!"

Daniel gently returned the touch. Jack was right, this felt impossibly good.

"Did it feel this good when I touched you when you were human?"

"That felt really, really good but this is way beyond that," Jack replied as coherently as he could.

As they became more confident their touches and stroking got stronger, they stayed in contact with each other for a longer time, drawing out the pleasure. Thinking got difficult then impossible. When Daniel moved forward and merged part of his form with Jack they both nearly screamed in ecstasy. For a short time they were so close they became each other, the sparking energy discharges lighting their beings as the pleasure built in intensity then violently threw them apart blotting out awareness of each other and everything around them.

An unspecified time later Daniel became aware of drifting aimlessly in the solar wind. He felt calm, peaceful and so good. He knew without having to think about it that Jack was nearby and feeling the same.

"Wow! That makes corporeal sex look pretty boring!"

Daniel giggled gently. He was too sated and peaceful for anything else.

"You didn't think that when you were corporeal," Daniel reminded him.

"Hadn't experienced this back then. Lot less messy as well."

This time Daniel laughed.

"Pragmatist!"  
"Yeah, that's me," Jack agreed.

For a time they drifted along in companionable silence until Jack asked,

"Secrets."

"What?"

"You were going to tell me how to tell if someone is keeping a secret."  
"Oh yes. It's not so much keeping secrets more not letting the information show."  
"That sounds like keeping secrets to me."

For once Daniel didn't make Jack find out how to do something in his new state. Instead Jack took the knowledge directly from Daniel. Jack was surprised at how much easier it was to do so but he didn't comment on it. He 'pushed' at the surface thoughts and emotions of his fellow ascended and felt a slight give. He picked that area to concentrate upon. Then the knowledge flowed to him.

"Goa'uld!"

"Steady Jack. Keep looking."  
Jack did as he was bid.

"Shifu. Is that Shifu?"

"Part of it."

"Oma. Oma was contacted by a Goa'uld. Was asked to help the Goa'uld and she did? Who else is there? I almost recognise them."

Jack was struggling to sort out the old memory and make sense of it.

"Not the Goa'uld, one Goa'uld. Ammonet contacted Oma to take the baby Shifu and keep him with her and teach him to repress his natural instincts. She didn't want Apophis to be so powerful. Oma agreed because she could see if Apophis took Shifu as a host he would be unstoppable."  
"Ammonet and Oma. Who is the other trace?"

Daniel replied softly,

"Shau're. She is the other trace."

"I thought Shau're contacted Oma and then told you where Shifu could be found."

"Shau're told me but only because she wanted me to look after her child. It was Ammonet who planned the scheme and got him away with good Father Kasuf's help."

"Why would a Goa'uld want to do that? Ammonet could have switched hosts and been the powerful one."

"Perhaps she would have tried eventually. I don't know."  
"Ammonet and Oma worked together?" Jack asked quietly not quite able to believe it.

"Yes, they did."

"If she works with them she's not going to be keen on stopping Anubis."

"She only worked with Ammonet. Self preservation on both sides. They helped each other. Oma has helped me to make problems for more than one system lord, just as I've helped her."

"You think she will stop Anubis?"

"I don't know if even Oma is powerful enough to stop Anubis but I think she'll help us. Oma can see some paths of the future. In one of them she saw one Goa'uld who would take over everything. Destroy what he couldn't use and enslave what he could. That's why she helped Ammonet. By taking that path she knew she would be in a position to try and stop him at a later time."  
"Daniel, why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like what's coming?"

"Because you're not going to like what's coming!"

"Thought not."

For the first time since he had ascended Jack couldn't read Daniel very well and their normally easy communication felt fuzzy and stilted. He realised Daniel was keeping something from him.

"We need to help those Goa'uld who are in opposition to Anubis."

"You're right I don't like it! Help a Goa'uld? Are you crazy?"

"No. Neither are you, but it is what we need to do and we also need to persuade the SGC and the Tok'ra to help them as well."

"Whoa, Danny boy! Hammond is not going to hand over troops and firepower to a snake head, neither will the Tok'ra."

"I think the Tok'ra will be the easiest to persuade. After all, they do know the advantage of keeping the System Lords bickering amongst themselves. It's the SGC who are going to need most persuasion, but we do need their help."

In a blinding flash of realisation Jack thought knew why he was here and why he couldn't read Daniel at the moment. He couldn't understand how Daniel had managed to keep this from him. Up until a few minutes ago he would have categorically stated that Daniel had helped him ascend because

he cared about him, not because he needed to use him as a way in to the top brass at the SGC. Physically and mentally he pulled himself away from Daniel and without consciously thinking about it, he masked his thoughts.

"Jack?" Daniel said, uncertainly. Jack had never masked himself before. The sudden cessation of contact was disconcerting.

"We."

"What?"

"You said 'we need their help'. You haven't always been an enlightened one. You were human once."

"I haven't forgotten Jack. Why are you shutting me out?"

"That's why I'm here isn't it? That's why only I, and not the rest of the team, got a few little visits from you when I was human, isn't it? You need me to talk to Hammond."

Daniel was so shocked he literally couldn't think for a few seconds.

"Do you seriously think I couldn't persuade Hammond, Jack?" Daniel asked, quietly. "What kind of a man do you think I am? Do you think so little of me, after all we've been through and shared, that you think I would use you like that?"

Daniel wasn't masking his thoughts or his emotions now. Jack could see and feel anger, hurt and unhappiness all cascading through him. Immediately Jack knew he had been wrong. Daniel had only been masking the idea of an alliance with Goa'uld System Lords, nothing more. And Jack had

been thinking like the covert ops soldier he once was, not like an Ascended.

"Danny. Danny I'm sorry."

"Why did you think that?" Daniel shouted. If he could have cried tears would have been running down his face. "I thought you trusted me!"

"You know I trust you," Jack replied, frankly appalled at himself for even considering Danny would use him as a bargaining tool. "I couldn't read you and I didn't know why."

"You couldn't read me because I knew you would hate the idea of having to ally ourselves with Goa'uld!" he shouted.

Jack could sense other Ascended homing in on Daniel's distress, including Oma.

"Please Danny, forgive me?"

Daniel took a moment to get himself under control again before he said,

"Leave me alone for a while Jack. Don't try to find me either. This time I do want some time on my own."

With that he shielded himself and effectively disappeared.

"O'Neill?" Oma queried.

"I'm sorry Oma, that was completely my fault."

"I don't think you need to apologise to me."

"What have I done?" he asked himself.

"In order to travel the right path, you need to be able to recognise the wrong one first."

Surprisingly he found her meaning fairly clear.

"What can I do?"

"Respect his wishes."

Jack sent his agreement and then turned his misery inward.

"O'Neill!"

"Yeah?"  
"We would like your help."

Briefly she sent him a collage of scenes of a peaceful peoples being oppressed by a Goa'uld overlord and what they could do to stop him. He agreed to her request for assistance and then joined his fellow Ascended. He wasn't sure if Daniel was anywhere in the vicinity, but he sent his sincere regrets for what he'd done.

Harrying the Goa'uld from the planet gave Jack an outlet for his anger at himself. It didn't take long for the Goa'uld to get the idea that his company and that of his Jaffa were no longer wanted. Afterwards Jack left the group of Ascended and went to an uninhabited part of this world. It was hot and sandy when he took on corporeal form. Feeling the sun on his skin, however pseudo, and the breeze ruffling his hair helped to calm him. He knew Oma was around keeping a friendly check on him. He acknowledged her presence but nothing more. He wanted his own company for a while.

He walked for miles in the shifting sands, concentrating on trying to make his movements look as human as possible. As the sun went down he sat atop a small hillock and watched the brilliant changing colours of the sky. Even when the vault overhead turned dark blue and twin moons arose to eclipse the diamond hard glitter of stars he still continued to stare at the empty landscape around him. Eventually he lay back, cushioning his head on his arms, staring up into the night sky, idly listening to the night creatures around him going about their business of surviving in this harsh climate. When a man shape blocked out part of the sky he remarked mildly,

"You're blocking the view."

Daniel looked up at the faint stars and the moons then down at Jack.

"We could go and take a closer look?"

Jack considered it then shook his head. Daniel nodded then sat at his side studying the moons.

"I am sorry for doubting you," Jack told him sincerely.

Daniel didn't reply, he just reached out to take Jack's nearest hand and squeezed it. The gesture said everything that needed to be said.

Towards dawn Jack asked,

"When do we need to talk to Hammond?"

"Soon."

"How much time has passed for them?"

"About three weeks I think. It gets hard to remember time as we used to know it."

There was a further pause before Daniel squeezed Jack's hand again to attract his attention.

"Shall we go home?" he asked.

Jack smiled and nodded. When they were on their feet Daniel stood facing Jack, his face becoming clearer as the sun began to rise. He looked directly into Jack's eyes and smiled what Jack termed his 'space monkey' smile, one which showed his teeth and made him look far more mischievous than normal. In this form, communication was very muted but nonetheless Jack couldn't mistake the invitation in Daniel's eyes. The future was murky at best, their survival even muddier once they started to ally themselves with those opposing Anubis. Before that happened and while they still had the chance to reaffirm their lives Daniel wanted to make love with him again. Jack looked at Daniel raising his eyebrows in question. Daniel's smile got wider. Doubtfully Jack looked at the sand beneath them, scuffing it with the toe of his boot.

"Don't worry Jack, I won't let any sand get where it shouldn't," Daniel said softly.

"Shouldn't we be doing this in the pounding surf?" Jack asked facetiously.

"Mmm, I think this is more 'Lawrence of Arabia' than 'From Here to Eternity'," Daniel replied sliding his hands along Jack's shoulders. Jack rested his hands on Daniel's waist. They were close enough to taste each other's breath, had they been breathing. Jack could see Daniel's eyes dilating at his nearness. Behind them streaks of pale gold, silver and pink decorated the sky, guilding Daniel's skin.

"I really, really enjoyed it the other way," Jack said quietly, leaning forward slightly.

"Let's see how we do with this, shall we?" Daniel whispered as he closed the distance between them.

He brushed his lips against Jack's then leaned back to observe the effect. Jack's eyes opened slowly when he realised those luscious lips were no longer against his. He looked directly into Daniel's eyes and asked,

"My turn?"

An answering smile was his reply.

Jack slid his right hand to the back of Daniel's head pulling him closer but keeping his eyes open. His space monkey in a playful flirtatious mood could be very bad for the frustration level. Jack felt a tingle when his lips touched Daniel's so he deepened the kiss. Daniel's body slid sensuously closer, Jack's arms automatically tightening their hold around his waist. Daniel's lips moved to his cheek then his jaw setting off what felt like tiny explosions of pleasure against his skin. When the pleasure moved to his throat Jack put his head back to allow Daniel better access. Parting with a kiss to the hollow of his throat Daniel moved his hands to Jack's face, his long fingers delicately stroking his skin. Where they touched brilliant light danced and sparkled, rivalling the rising sun. He plied his loving touch down from Jack's temples to jaw then down his arched neck and along his collar bones, clouds of light blossoming around them. Jack moaned at the sensations ricocheting around his body. This was almost as intense as when they had made love in their energy forms. Suddenly Jack desperately wanted that joining again. This wasn't quite enough any more.

"Danny!" he whispered, pleading with that one word.

"Turn around," Daniel gasped out.

Not quite knowing what his lover was intending, in a daze he turned his back on him. Daniel mirrored his posture, his arms held slightly away from his sides. Everywhere they touched the light shone and flickered with an eye blinding brilliance. It sang in small clouds, showering silver and pale gold sparks around them both. Daniel entwined his fingers with Jack's, standing as close as he could, the front of his body plastered along the other man's back, then he took another step, merging their forms. Incandescent climax ripped through them, galvanising them upright on a rack of almost unbearable exhilaration and tearing their minds into a million orgasmic pieces. Time became a meaningless concept. They could have been in the grip of such soul wracking joy for seconds or hours, neither could be sure. When they could think again they had shed their corporeal forms and were once again beings of energy drifting through the lower stratosphere of the planet. Thoughts and words were unnecessary. Each could feel the other, sated and utterly content. Also a little sad too with the knowledge of the coming battles. Calmly Jack reached out to Daniel. Their touch this time was warm with comfort and companionship.

***********

Jacob was making his way from his ship to the entrance of the tunnels with two of his fellow Tok'ra when his companions stopped suddenly, Lylass drawing his hand weapon. He looked to where Lylass and Presay were staring. Two figures, limned in light, hands shoved deep in their pockets were waiting for them. Jacob felt the blood draining from his face. Selmec roared harshly across the intervening distance,

"Who are you?"

He was as shaken as his host.

"Hi Selmec, Jacob. We are who you think we are," Jack replied.

Selmec turned to Presay, whispered a command, to which he nodded and made his way around the two men then hared off into the complex.

"Think yourself lucky I didn't give you such a hard time," Jack muttered to Daniel.

"Why do you think I always came calling when you were sitting at home and reasonably relaxed," Daniel murmured back.

Both looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes then looked straight ahead towards Jacob.

Behind them they could hear running feet and sense many Tok'ra.

"Do you think we could have this conversation inside?" Jack asked.

"Not until we know who you are," Selmec responded.

"For crying out loud, who do we look like?"

"You certainly look like Colonel O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson."

"Great! So what's the problem."

"Colonel O'Neill was tortured to death, Daniel Jackson ascended to another plane of existence. I'm asking you again, who are you?"

Jack drew in a deep unneeded breath while Daniel spoke.

"You're right Jacob, I did ascend. You saw it happen, but you're wrong about Jack. He didn't die, he ascended as well."

"Convenient," was Jacob's response. "You'll need to give me much more than that before I believe you."

Jack turned and looked into Daniel's eyes.

"Shall we?"

Daniel shrugged. At almost the same moment they both discarded their pseudo bodies and became creatures of energy again, floating between the two parties of Tok'ra.

Jacob stared at the two creatures of light before him then said,

"OK. I'm impressed!"

"Good!" came the graceless reply in Jack's inimitable tones. "Now can we talk?"

"So talk! Who's stopping you?" Jacob replied.

"We'd prefer somewhere more private, Jacob," Daniel said, his calm, reasonable tones in strong contrast to Jack's stroppiness.

"As you sound very much like O'Neill and Jackson we'll find somewhere more private. Follow me," Jacob ordered.

The creature on his left appeared to throw a mock salute in the former General's direction.

"I saw that!" Jacob said without turning back.

"So report me," Jack responded.

"Jack!" Daniel warned, silently. "We want their help, stop making difficulties."

"Making difficulties, who me?" Jack asked in surprised tones.

Daniel ignored him and sped after Jacob, over the heads of the surprised Tok'ra. On the way to the council chambers Jacob had been giving orders so that by the time they all reached the room, most of the council members were already there and waiting. Jack was feeling suitably smug as he caught the looks of amazement on the faces below him. At last, he'd managed to surprise the Tok'ra!

Jacob made the introductions as Jack took the opportunity to look around. He recognised a couple of the faces around the table. By the time he'd dragged his attention back from his musings Daniel was already launching on an explanation of their visit.

At the end of his speech one of the council members asked,

"Why should we believe you?"

"You don't need to believe us," Jack said, "Your own people will have relayed these intelligence reports, already."

Jacob looked down to hide his smile. If this wasn't Jack O'Neill it was his twin brother!

As Jacob watched the arguments batting back and forth between Jack, Daniel and the council he began to notice how the two ascended beings never strayed very far from each other. Sometimes they were so close together some of their appendages were touching, almost as if they were each taking comfort from the other's closeness and support.

'If they were still human they would be holding hands.'

Selmec's thought mingled easily with his own, he found himself agreeing before the rest of his brain processed the implications.

'No way, not those two!'

There was an amused but pointed silence from his symbiote.

'Hey, they're not human anymore, so things may well be different once you're in that form,' he silently protested to Selmec.

'You are no longer considered fully human, either, my friend. Does that mean human rules, or more accurately, military rules, on your sexual behaviour no longer apply to you?'

'That's different and you know it!'

Too late he remembered his symbiote tended to think of itself as the same sex of its host. Again a ghostly sense of amusement stole through his mind.

'I think in this case your earth proverb of live and let live should apply,' Selmec advised.

'Don't ask, don't tell,' Jacob thought, automatically.

'If you feel more comfortable with that one, then yes. However, this does not change the fact that O'Neill and Jackson have a difficult task ahead of them. They do need help from the Tok'ra and their strategy is sound. An alliance of Goa'uld under Anubis would be intolerable. We need more people aboard Anubis ship and the ones who will best pass unnoticed will be unblended humans, placed there to act as slaves. They take little notice of their own slaves and speak freely in front of them. A human who either understands, or even speaks Goa'uld, would be invaluable.'

'What are you suggesting?' Jacob asked.

'Simply do your job as Tok'ra, Tau'ri liaison. O'Neill and Jackson will require a representative to speak with the military minds at the SGC, on behalf of the Tok'ra. You can then ask for Tau'ri to act as undercover intelligence gathers aboard Anubis ship.'

Under Selmec's guidance the council gradually agreed with the two Ascended in their midst and grudgingly admitted they knew who was opposed to Anubis and who was with him.

"So first of all we need to get the SGC to lend man power and then we need to approach Aten, Thoth, Ammut and Ptah and offer them assistance in fighting Anubis," Jacob summarised.

"You make it sound so easy," Jack replied.

"That's why I'm a General and you're still a Colonel, Colonel," Jacob replied dryly.

"What about approaching any other allies?" Daniel suggested.

"Allies of the Tok'ra are already fully committed to destroying the Goa'uld threat by whatever means necessary."

"I was actually thinking of Tau'ri allies," Daniel admitted.

"I'll leave you to ask Hammond about that one," Jacob said getting to his feet along with the rest of the council members. "Oh, and another thing, you'd better stay as clouds when we go through the gate," Jacob said blandly.

"Why," Jack asked, instantly suspicious.

"The fewer people who know you ascended the better for now," he said.

"You think there's a Goa'uld spy at the SGC?" Jack asked.

"Jack, I'm just saying it's better to be careful. For what's it's worth, no I don't think the SGC have a spy, or Sam would have sensed a Goa'uld there by now. In case you don't know it, you're our aces in the hole. The fewer people who know the more the element of surprise."

"Hmm," Jack grunted. "I'm not happy with deceiving my kids. I had to do it once and I don't want to do it again."  
"OK. But my point is, go through the 'gate as an Ascended."

"OK," Daniel answered quickly.

"Since when did you make my decisions for me?" Jack grouched.

"Since you got here. Jacob has a point and a good one. I thought you with your military background wouldn't have any problem with that one."

"Well, I'm not happy."  
"So I gathered! What's the real reason?"

"It's just I'd be lying to you all again."

"Not to all of us."

"After last time I promised myself I wouldn't do that again, OK?"

"OK," Daniel replied softly. "Jack, they'll understand. They're soldiers. Last time you had the hard time with me, not Sam or Teal'c, me. This time I'm with you on this."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Jack agreed slowly.

"Come on. We need to get moving." Jacob shouted back over his shoulder.

"Sir, off world activation!"

"Any IDC?" Hammond asked.

"Coming through now sir. It's a Tok'ra ID."

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.

Sam looking towards the event horizon wondering if her father would step out onto the ramp.

Her face split into a broad smile as she saw him step out of the shimmering pool. Suddenly Hammond grabbed the loudspeaker microphone and said loudly,

"Defence team stand down, put your weapons on the ground. I repeat put your weapons on the ground!"

Immediately the armed airmen put unhooked the straps of their weapons and placed them carefully on the concrete floor of the gateroom, then backed away, their hands held in an attitude of surrender.

Sam turned to look at the general, confused. He nodded towards the top of the Stargate. Sam had been so caught up with seeing her father again she hadn't noticed the two luminous clouds who were floating semi-stationary near the ceiling.

"Oh!"

"Jacob is keeping exalted company," Hammond muttered as he was tripping down the stairs to the gate room.

"Jacob!"

"George. Good to see you. Sam!"

She went to hug Jacob who spared a few seconds to take a careful look at his daughter.

'She looks tired,' he said to Selmec.

'She'll recover, Jacob. Your daughter is a resilient woman.' Selmec reassured his host.

"George, can we go to the briefing room and can I ask that you to switch off the surveillance cameras in there?"

"What's all this about?"

"I'll tell you once we're in there and the cameras are off."

Hammond stared hard at his old friend for a few seconds before nodding.

"Alright. Major Carter, see to the cameras."

"Sir!"

Jacob glanced up at the two Ascended who immediately swooped down and passed through the concrete walls as if they weren't there.

"Jacob where are they going? This base is on high alert still and there are a lot of heavily armed airmen about."

"They won't harm anyone George. You have my word on that."

Hammond looked rather unconvinced and still stared at the point where the two beings had entered the wall.

"Shall we go to the briefing room, General?" Jacob asked, bringing George's attention away from the two unknown intruders who were apparently freely roaming his base.

Jacob and George entered the briefing room to find Sam standing staring at the two Ascended already in there with Teal'c, who was looking faintly puzzled. Softly the big Jaffa spoke,

"Daniel Jackson?"

One of the beings darted forward towards Teal'c. Teal'c stood his ground as the cloud coalesced and the smiling face and body of his comrade solidified in front of him.

"Teal'c!" Daniel said, excited to be able to greet his friend again.

But it was Sam who spoke,

"Daniel! Oh Daniel," as she threw herself into his arms.

"Hey! Don't I get any of that?" asked a familiar sarcastic voice.

Sam lifted her tear blurred eyes, knowing the voice but not believing her ears.

"O'Neill!"

"Hi T! Pleased to see ya!"

"As am I, O'Neill," he replied, bowing his head.

Sam turned to give her former CO a thoroughly unmilitary hug while Daniel turned his attention to Teal'c, taking his hand and gripping his upper arm with his other hand.

"Dr Jackson, Colonel?" Hammond looked a little pale with suspiciously bright eyes on perceiving two members of his favourite team whom he'd thought were gone forever.

Daniel strode forward intending to shake the General's hand. A huge grin split the older man's face as he pumped Daniel's hand and pounded him on the back with his other hand, as near to hugging anyone under his command as he could get. Jack strode over to take the General's hand and received the same treatment too whilst Jacob looked on with an amused eye from his seat at the table. He let them have these few minutes before he reminded Jack and Daniel this wasn't just an emotional reunion.

As Jacob began to explain his proposal he could feel the atmosphere in the room dipping below freezing point.

"Absolutely not, Jacob!" Hammond said decisively. "This command has lost a lot of good men to the Goa'uld, it will not be sending in troops or firepower to assist them in any way, shape or form."

"General Hammond," Jack interrupted, "You know my opinion of the snake heads, it hasn't changed. Hell, they even tortured me to death! It wasn't the Tok'ra who formulated this plan, it was us."

"You! I cannot believe that."

"I have absolutely no reason to lie to you. I hate the Goa'uld. But if Anubis defeats these last few who oppose him, he will be able to walk in anyway and do whatever he wants."  
"He already walked in here and decimated this base. If he had chosen to do so, he could have gotten out on to the surface and we could not stop him. For whatever reason he chose not to do that. I cannot imagine that we can make a difference in a fight against him. He has superior numbers and superior technology. Colonel O'Neill, you must know better than any one person around this table just what he is capable of."

"Oh yeah. I know what he can do," Jack agreed quietly.

Jack's gaze turned inward remembering the last few days of his life as a blur of pain, hopelessness and despair. Daniel caught his eye from the other side of the table and gave him a faint smile.

"I know exactly what he is capable of, but I still say this is the only way to keep him from strolling onto this planet or coming back and destroying it. I have said it before, we don't need to have an army we do covert ops very well. Several small teams could cause his fleet huge problems."  
"If they speak or understand Goa'uld, that would be even better," Jacob put in.

"The Tok'ra speak Goa'uld why aren't they aboard those ships?" Hammond asked belligerently.

"They are. But the Goa'uld can sense their symbiotes. We need to put people on board who can pass as slaves, which means we have to use unblended humans. They tend to speak very freely in front of a slave as most of them can only understand a very few commands in Goa'uld."

"You are asking for very specialised people here. It will leave this command with severe deficiencies in all areas. You may be able to get them on board those ships but by the sounds of it there won't be any way to get them off. You're asking me to give you specialised teams for a suicide mission. I'm sorry Jacob, I cannot authorise this mission."

"General Hammond, I don't think you have much choice," Daniel said, earnestly. "Make no mistake, Anubis will win if we don't help. If he wins he will require slaves, Jaffa and hosts to add to his armies. This planet is the richest source of soldiers, slave labour and hosts. Don't imagine Anubis'll leave it alone."

Hammond stared down at the table then up at Daniel.

"You put forward a good argument Dr Jackson," Hammond sighed. "I will have to talk to the President and the joint chiefs and await their decision."

"We haven't got much time," Jack reminded him.

"I know that Colonel. I will impress upon them the need for alacrity. Jacob, I will need your input as well."

"OK George."

"Sir," Carter said, "I request permission to be on one of the covert ops teams."

"Request denied," Hammond replied almost before she had stopped speaking. "You too Teal'c. You would both put the teams in jeopardy as soon as a Goa'uld saw you."

"They would sense Jolinar and Teal'c's symbiote in a second, Sam. You know that," Jacob told her quietly.

Jack said nothing, simply looked at the Major.

"Colonel O'Neill, Dr Jackson. I am requesting that you confine yourselves to this room whilst you are, umm,…."

"Wearing our former bodies?" Jack completed for him.

"Yes, thank you Colonel. You may of course wander at will in your Ascended appearance."  
"Thank you, sir," he replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

As soon as the two older men had left, Jack turned to Carter and Teal'c asking,

"So, whatcha been up to?"

******

Jacob looked at Hammond across his desk.

"It's not much but I think that's the best we're going to get," Jacob said.

"Volunteers only."

"Don't think you'll have a problem with that. Who's this Goa'uld speaker you have here? Rayner, is it?"

"Dr Steven Rayner. He worked with Daniel when they were both research assistants to Dr Jordan. Sarah, Osiris' host, worked with them too. If you're thinking about sending him, that may not be a good idea."

"But he speaks Goa'uld and you did mention he can take care of himself. Let him decide."

"I wasn't planning on doing anything other than that," Hammond replied.

Rayner bowed low and took the cup which was unceremoniously thrust at him. He limped slightly over to the counter and refilled the vessel then handed it back to Baal's personal body servant, who then passed it to his master. Rayner kept his eyes downcast and waited for the next command. Being a slave, he decided, was overrated. If he'd had any idea he would be this bored working undercover he wouldn't have let Daniel talk him into it. He'd been waiting on various System Lords whilst they, in turn, waited on Anubis for what felt like days. He was tired to death, his feet hurt and his damaged hip had begun to ache, making him limp a little. He was playing the limp for all his worth though, having worked our fairly fast the Goa'uld didn't tend to take much notice of damaged slaves. To be fair, neither Jack nor Daniel had coerced him at all. He'd known as well as the rest of them he was perfect for the job. Seeing them both again had been wonderful. The best thing to come out of this horrible situation. Suddenly two fingers under his chin, lifting his face up, startled him.

"This one has pleasing features for a slave," Baal remarked to his personal servant, speaking in Goa'uld.

"Yes my lord," he replied. "But he seems to be damaged. He favours his right leg. Also I believe he is not well versed in the ways of service, my lord, being freshly captured from the Tau'ri world."

"Ah! Pity. He would've made a pleasant addition to our crew," Baal said, turning Rayer's face to the right and left to view it from all angles.

"Tau'ri, you say? Interesting. Almost indistinguishable from our own people."

Rayner looked as blank as possible.

Baal dropped his hand, dismissing Rayner from his mind. He continued speaking with his servant, passing on orders about the running of his own ship.

A sharp rap on the door brought him back to his duties. He limped past Baal, catching the look of distaste on the face of the Goa'uld. 'Tough shit!' he thought to himself, opening the door. Two Jaffa were standing in the hall.

"My lord Baal, Anubis awaits you," the tallest one stated, completely ignoring Rayner, and motioning down the corridor as Baal and his servant swept regally out. The second Jaffa turned to Rayner and snapped out a command in Goa'uld. When Rayner didn't immediately jump to do his bidding he stalked forward menacingly. Rayner wasn't acting that much when he cringed away. He'd had enough back-handed slaps in the last few days to last him a lifetime.

"Prepare this room and then go to the slave pens until you are sent for again," the warrior intoned slowly in English.

Rayner bowed and began to tidy the room up, removing the soiled crockery. The Jaffa snorted in derision and left him to it. As soon as he heard the door shut he straightened his back thankfully. Shuffling and limping around with downcast eyes and bent shoulders played havoc with the muscles. However perhaps it had been worth it, now all he needed was an opportunity to pass on his information. Four System Lords had met with Anubis this day, even though the dull thud of weapons fire told him they were firing and being fired on by other ships. All of them seemed to be very optimistic. Not a good sign for the opposition but pride did sometimes come before a fall. Leaving the room in a reasonable state he went towards the slave pens, but at the last minute veered off towards the waste holds. A man dressed as a servant was walking along the gantry.

"Well!"

"Four of them, Baal, Kali. Zpatne and Olikum," Rayner whispered.

"Have they left yet?" Vedion asked just as softly.

"Zpatne left, the other three are still here."

"Good. I've set the first charges on the glider deck, the second are on the deck below the Peltak."

He handed Rayner three round devices. "Distribute these where you think they'll do the most harm."

"Right."

Without another word they parted company. Rayner stashed the three lots of explosives in his carrying bag around his waist. He made sure his long coat was pulled well down at the back so the outline of his hand gun wouldn't show. Quickly he made his way out of the waste area and turned to go back towards the slave pens. The heavy tramping feet of a battalion of Jaffa warned him to reassume his slave persona. He hunched his shoulders and pressed against the bulkhead as they swept passed him then he resumed his slow, limping walk. Lighter and faster footsteps warned him he wasn't alone before the imperious voice rang out,

"Slave!"

Obediently he stopped, keeping his eyes down, giving him a view of long slim legs. Legs he recognised. Sarah!

"Slave..," she began then stopped as he made the mistake of looking at her.

"So your little adventure in the SGC didn't put you off," she smirked at him, raising her arm with its ribbon device.

Reacting on instinct rather than thought he pulled out his gun and shot her several times at point blank range. The Goa'uld within her glared impotently at him as it's host body shook and trembled under the onslaught, then she fell back and lay still.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

The ship took a stray blast from the battle raging outside and threw him to the ground. Steven sat up and thought about what he could do with the body. The Goa'uld would be beginning to try and save it's host body even as he wasted time trying to decide what to do. He picked up her arms and dragged her out of the corridor. By the time he had dragged her to where he wanted he was sweating and shaking. Making one last effort he encased her in a life pod and then launched it. Then he turned and made his way to the Peltak level.

Seeing the Jaffa who had spoken English to him just outside the entrance to the Peltak he made he way towards the warrior and bowed low.

"What do you want slave?"

"Sir, I have just seen my lord Osiris entering a life pod," he whispered quietly to the Jaffa, then continued, "There was blood on the floor all around where my lord Osiris had walked."

The Jaffa was clearly torn between reporting the news or killing the Tau'ri slave for lying. Baal turned, as he was summoning the ring transporter back to his ship, his attention attracted by the commotion.

"Jaffa!" Anubis said.

"My lord?"

"Explain!"

"This slave says he has seen my lord Osiris injured and getting into a life pod, my lord. I will have him immediately executed for his lies."

The noise from the ring transporters ceased.

"Wait!" Anubis said ominously quietly.

The Jaffa at the controls turned and nodded once.

"A life pod has been launched, my Lord."

"Destroy it," Anubis ordered calmly.

The Jaffa tried to lock onto the target, but so small a target within a battlefield of so many ships was nearly impossible.

"I'm sorry my Lord. I have failed," he replied as he bowed his head.

Anubis never even looked down at the man as he raised his hand and the ribbon device destroyed him where he sat. The body was a blackened husk as if it had been through incredible heat and the terrible smell soon permeated the air on that deck. He negligently flicked his hand at the corpse. Two more Jaffa ran forward to take the incinerated man off the deck whilst another Jaffa took his place.

Rayner was pushed forward to help the Jaffa get rid of the evidence of failure. He rushed to help them getting the body away. Once outside in the corridor the two Jaffa left Rayner and two more servants to their grim task and returned to the Peltak. Rayner was more than pleased to be leaving that level. Before they were out of earshot Rayner heard a Jaffa telling Anubis,

"My lord, Lord Baal's forces appear to be breaking off the attack as are Lord Kali's."

Anubis said nothing, appearing not to have heard.

As Rayner and the two other servants had finished putting the unfortunate Jaffa's body in the waste hold they were all three punched to the ground by shock waves.

One of the men shouted,

"The ship has been hit!"

Rayner thought differently. Standing against the shaking he ran along the gantry level and out, going towards the section where the life pods were kept. Now the corridors were filled with hurrying Jaffa and servants as well as smoke. The lights in that section dimmed then brightened then dimmed again as more explosions shook the ship. The ship was still firing on its opponents, its capacity for doing so apparently unchecked. Alongside it bright flame suddenly blossomed in the darkness of space, debris hitting their shields with the force of missiles, as a ship exploded, then another spurt of brightness shattered the dark marking the death of another mother ship.

Ahead Rayner heard the deep discharge of some kind of powerful weapon then he was being carried along on a wave of panic stricken slaves who had escaped from their Jaffa captors. Pushing his way through the sea of humanity he got to a section which held the smoking remains of the Jaffa battalion which had been the slave's escort. Two Ascended beings were disappearing through the bulkhead into space. Against the brilliance of the stars he saw the beings join many others of their kind then separate, each picking another ship and entering. Pulling his attention back to his own predicament, Steven Rayner turned away from the view port and tried to continue on his way to the life pods but further explosions from the three bombs he'd left on the Peltak knocked him to the ground leaving him unconscious and bleeding. A retinue of Jaffa kicked him out of their way as they too tried to leave the stricken ship. Thick, evil smelling smoke roiled around him as the ship drifted out of control.

Anubis made his unhurried way from the decimated Peltak and prepared to transport himself to another one of his ships. He had other transporters aboard, including a Stargate in the hold, which is where he was heading. The planet below was near enough to use as a point of origin. As he drew near his destination he could hear the sharp discharge of powerful energy blasts, followed by a furnace hot wave of air. Rounding the corner he saw his personal Jaffa escort where they had fallen guarding the Stargate. Each of them had been reduced to smoking husks. Angrily he looked around for the beings who had perpetrated this outrage. He could feel their peculiar brand of energy nearby. Entering the darkened hold he found the rest of his honour guard smoking ruins too. Almost too angry to think he slapped an address into the raised DHD and activated the Stargate. The event horizon stabilised as he hurried towards it, turning to look behind at the last second. Two energy beings, their luminescence bright against the darkness of the hold, shot towards him. Just as his momentum took him through the event horizon he raised his hand and sent the discharge from his ribbon device crackling towards them, screaming his anger at the same time before the wormhole swallowed him and immediately disengaged, then it re-engaged, spluttering and unstable. Lightening dancing around the outer and inner rings. Unable to get out of the way quickly enough both beings were enveloped in the residual energy from the blast which the Stargate hadn't bled off. It sizzled around them, tossing them about over the DHD like flotsam in a fast moving current. Then the lightening from the Stargate caught them as well, flickering back and forth between them, the DHD and the 'Gate, then the blast dissipated, disengaging the wormhole and taking the Ascended with it.

The ship creaked and groaned like something in pain as more explosions tore through her. Beams of brilliant light shone through the decks taking some people and leaving others before sweeping through the rest of the fleet and departing as quickly as it had arrived. A shriek of tearing metal sounded throughout the decks then in one final brilliant display the engines overloaded and exploded destroying Anubis ship and those who remained on her.

****************

"Sir, off world activation, no IDC."

"Close the iris," Hammond ordered.

When the circle of metal remained where is was he repeated,

"I said close the iris, airman!"

"I can't sir. The iris won't respond."

Below him armed airmen poured into the gate room taking up their positions at the bottom of the ramp. The shimmering event horizon parted gently to let the first of the travellers into the room. The small grey figure stopped at the top of the ramp and waited politely.

"Stand down. Defence teams stand down!" Hammond ordered before anyone could open fire on Thor.

"May I enter, General Hammond?"

"You may."

Dashing down to the gate room level he met Thor at the bottom of the ramp.

"General Hammond, we are returning your people we took from the Goa'uld attack fleet."

Behind the diminutive alien a mixture of Tok'ra and Tau'ri stepped out of the Stargate and onto the ramp. All of them were unharmed. Steven Rayner stepped out, the last man through. He was as uninjured as the rest of them. Behind him the wormhole disengaged.

"Thor, the Asgard have our grateful thanks for returning our people and our allies."

Thor inclined his head graciously.

"Do you know if the fighting has stopped completely as yet?" Hammond asked, starved for news.

"It has. There is no decisive victory for either side but the seeds of suspicion have been well sown among the System Lords. We hope they will bear much fruit."

Hammond smiled down at the tiny figure before him, hoping in his heart that it would be a bumper crop!

"Have the Ascended been in contact again?" Thor asked.

Hammond knew he was really asking about Colonel O'Neill.

"I'm sorry, there is still no news," he replied gently.

In front of them the Stargate sputtered to life briefly then died, then sputtered again.

"Sir, we're reading an energy surge in the 'Gate," the sergeant on duty in the control room broadcast over the speakers.

"Everyone out of the gate room," Hammond shouted. "Close the blast doors!"

Ushering Thor out in front of him, Hammond took his guest to the control room.

"Do you know what is causing this?" he asked as soon as he got there.

Major Carter was already busy trying to sort out the multitude of data coming in from all sides.

"No sir. But it looks like we have a molecular reconstruction taking place," she replied

"But the gate isn't fully activated," Hammond protested.

"It's activating in surges then disengaging," Carter said gazing thoughtfully at the monitors. "It's taking a lot of power now."

Hammond could feel the room shaking a little as more than the usual amount of power was being taken from the generators.

"Do we have any idea what is coming through that wormhole?"

"Not really sir."

"Is the iris closed?"

"No sir. I can't override the computer."

"Do we even know how many or what is coming through?" he asked. This felt like a very bad dream.

"Er, it's one, no two, no one, erm,"

"Major?"

"Whatever comes through, I don't think it's going to be in very good shape sir," she said. "I think there was a power overload at the originating 'Gate and our 'Gate doesn't seem to be able to resolve the separate patterns."

She glanced up at Hammond with a sickened look on her face.

"Pardon?" he asked politely.

"Whatever comes through our Stargate won't be how it started out at the originating one," she replied, swallowing hard.

For a second Hammond wasn't sure whether to order in a defence team or a mop and bucket brigade. Before he could make a decision the Stargate activated properly, then disengaged and stayed silent.

"The wormhole had completely disengaged, sir."

"Open the blast doors," he quietly requested, not looking forward to seeing what would be splattered across the ramp. "And get a medical team in there."

Sam put her hand across her mouth as the blast shield cleared the viewing port, though in the half light it didn't look too messy. Then she saw what appeared to be two heads, three arms and only two legs!

She swallowed hard. Thor trotted after General Hammond, his eyesight having made out two distinct bodies rather than one amalgamated body. On reaching the ramp Hammond was relieved to see two men, dressed in BDU's, lying half over each other, giving the appearance of one mis-shapen body. He sighed in relief then stopped and stared. Thor skipped nimbly up the ramp and took a closer look. He turned to look at Hammond and smiled.

Hammond leaned down and touched one of the hands. The skin felt warm and human enough. Gingerly he felt for a pulse and, to his surprise, found one. He checked the other man and found him to be breathing and to have a pulse too.

One of the men groaned and lifted his head which woke the other man.

"Ohh, I don't feel too great Danny boy," Jack groaned, trying to sit up.

"Just take it easy Jack," Hammond said, helping him to sit against rails at the side of the ramp.

"General? Thor?"

"I am pleased to see you, O'Neill," Thor replied in his gentle voice.

Jack looked around the gate room totally disorientated. He tried to find the signatures of other Ascended around him, but couldn't, not even Daniel's energy signature.

"Danny!" he shouted, thinking that he too was cut off from the others like himself.

"Jack? I feel terrible," Daniel confessed.

"Danny! I, I can't sense you."

"I can't sense you either," Daniel replied slowly. "What happened?"

"Not sure. Think we were hit with one of Anubis' lightening shows."

"Can you find anyone else?" Daniel asked.

"Only General Hammond and Thor," Jack replied dryly. "Open your eyes."

Daniel opened his eyes and sat up, with help, and leaned against Jack and the side of the ramp.

"Give it a minute, it improves," Jack told him, taking one of his hands to look at the graze on the back of it.

"What's going on?" he asked plaintively, seeing his human and Asgard friends in front of him.

"Danny! I don't think we're going to be able to sense anyone else."

Jack gently touched a graze on the back of Daniel's hand where he had hit the ramp on the way through the wormhole.

"As Ascended, should we bleed?" he asked, holding his bloodied fingertip up for Daniel's inspection.

"Don't think so, we don't really have bodies," Daniel said, still confused.

"Think again Danny boy," Jack said quietly, the fingers of one hand resting on Daniel's wrist. "Feels to me like you got a healthy heartbeat there as well."

"But, but we can't have! We ascended," Daniel almost wailed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Hammond said to them both before being pushed firmly aside by Doctor Fraiser.

"Well, look what the 'Gate dragged in!" she said, signalling to the attendants to bring the gurney's closer in and not evincing the least surprise at seeing the two men.

"Nice to see you too, Doc!" Jack returned sourly, as she pulled his lower eyelids down to check the mucus membranes.

"How do you feel?" she asked, instantly becoming the professional.

"Been better," he muttered.

"Daniel?"

"Ditto."

"Take them straight to the infirmary," she ordered.

"It's OK, we can walk," Daniel said, getting to his feet.

"On the gurneys please, gentlemen," Fraiser replied, firmly in Napoleon mode.

"OK, let's take the next trolley outta here," Jack said to Daniel.

Hours later, Jack thought he had undergone every last test in Fraiser's medical textbooks and then some. He was sick and tired of being scanned and x-rayed, having blood and various other fluids removed and tested, being asked to stand up, sit down, lie down, stand up again, having his blood pressure taken, his blood gases checked, his lungs and eyes and heart and kidney's examined. Finally Janet wandered across to him and said,

"Well Colonel, for a man of your age, you're in perfect health."  
"That's it? You've finished with me?"

"I can't find anything wrong with you."

"I can leave?" Jack asked.

"You are free to…..go," she said finishing weakly as Jack was half way down the corridor by the end of her sentence.

Daniel had been allowed to leave a few minutes before and Jack was intent on catching up with him. He was feeling the sharp loss of not being in contact with the Ascended. It must be much worse for Daniel who had had a longer than he to become acclimatised to the constant open, honest and free connection. It took a little while but eventually Jack tracked him down outside the complex. He was standing on a grassy knoll staring up at the stars, his shoulders hunched and his hands shoved deep in his trouser pockets. Silently Jack walked up behind him, putting his arm around the other man's shoulders.

"How ya feeling?" he asked softly.

Daniel didn't answer for a long time.

"Alone. Very alone."

Jack nodded in agreement.

"Quiet when there's just you in your head, isn't it?"

"I miss them Jack, all of them," Daniel said, stray tears running down his cheeks and dripping from his chin. "I miss being able to hear everyone. I miss feeling warm and loved and accepted all the time…," he put his head down unable to continue for a few seconds. Jack tightened his hold feeling the inadequacy of trying to communicate using just language and touch when he too had become used to the all encompassing interaction of an Ascended. Jack didn't waste time with platitudes.

"We managed for most of our lives like this before we ascended. We'll get used to this again."

He paused looking up at the brilliant glittering stars above their heads.

"You're not on your own with this Daniel. We'll get through it together," he said, leaning his head against Daniel's, trying to regain a tiny part of the connection they had once shared with Oma's people and with each other.


End file.
